


Broken Moonlight

by orphan_account



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, M/M, Post-Mystery of Kanda Yuu arc, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-26
Updated: 2016-08-18
Packaged: 2018-07-26 20:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 67,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7589533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanda Yuu has returned to the Black Order with a desire to repay Allen for the favour that he had granted him. Upon his arrival, Kanda discovers that Allen has left the Black Order to join the Noah. Why would Allen do such a treacherous thing? Kanda sets out to confirm the truth for himself, which may result in unparalleled pain. Meanwhile, the Black Order has declared war on the Millennium Earl, knowing full well that Allen Walker will be against them. The Battle Royale: is it a duel of the weapons, or a duel of the heart? </p><p>"When I gazed at him, I saw the moonlight. When I lowered my sword, it was gone."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rebirth

**Author's Note:**

> In advance, I'm really really really really sorry for my incompetence when it comes to writing -.-"  
> This is my first fic to be posted, and I'm more nervous than I thought I would be~ huh.  
> The fic takes place after the Mystery of Kanda Yuu arc (so it has spoilers for the people that haven't read the manga), and has canon divergence somewhere in the middle of the first chapter. A few scenes are borrowed directly from the manga, but all credits go to Hoshino Katsura, who wrote the epic D.Gray-man ^.^  
> Without further ado, shall we begin~?

In the ruins of Mater sat Kanda Yuu, worn and haggard, but still holding gently - almost tenderly - onto the body of his first friend and reincarnation of his lover, Alma Karma. The body itself was beginning to disintegrate in his hold, crumbling to the ground.

His eyes narrowed slightly to prevent the wetness that assuaged them from spilling from his tear ducts; after all, Kanda Yuu was not weak, therefore Kanda Yuu does not cry. Despite the grief within his heart rising from the sight of seeing Alma die a second time, this time with the knowledge that Alma had been his lover, he refused to let a single tear fall.

Somewhere in the depths of his heart, when all the despair and grief had been pushed away, a fragment of genuine happiness shone through. At last...at long last, they could be free. Together. Forever. He pulled Alma’s shell of a body closer to himself, spotting the tears of the boy. He allowed his eyes to slide shut.

Alma had admitted that he would not reconcile with the Black Order, but Kanda couldn’t bring himself to care any less. He himself loathed that godforsaken organization that created illusory piety to disguise the ugliness of their reality. It was disgusting, and deserved all the hate it received.

Even as he felt the last wisps of life force leaving Alma, he held onto his body, not wishing to let go. Looking up, he spotted the silhouettes of his young friend and beautiful lover walking away hand in hand. A sharp intake of breath was drawn past his lips as that soft voice whispered an “I love you” into the thin air around him.

He allowed his head to fall back onto the wall of the ruins, a slight smile on his pale lips.

“....yeah,” he responded simply, as the shell within his arms crumbled to the ground, shattering completely and leaving him embracing nothing but thin air. Blue eyes lidded themselves over momentarily before he opened his eyes once again. His eyes widened at the sight that met his eyes.

Lotus blossoms bloomed within his vision, taking over the expanse of the ruins with their mellow pink hue. His eyes lowered to the ground where Alma had broken, the slight smile still present upon his own cracked features. Alma had finally left his darkness and bloomed beautifully. A dry chuckle passed his throat at the thought.

He closed his eyes. Even the air around him weighed his tired body down, brutally reminding him of his own exhaustion. He fought his urges to collapse then and there, battling to keep his eyes open. At the periphery of his mind, he couldn’t help but wonder why he battled so hard against the incessant languor. If he would simply allow it to take him over, he would be able to follow Alma into a peaceful place…

No...he wouldn’t die. He  _couldn't_ die. Not now. Lotus or not, he wasn’t about to allow a mere flower seal his fate. He wouldn’t die.

The more he considered the thought, the more it antagonized him. He contemplated briefly upon whether to follow Alma - after all, hadn’t that moyashi sent them to this place so they could fulfill what they desired and die together? A small scowl curled onto his lips at the thought. The stupid beansprout had done something completely unnecessary to actualize Kanda’s own selfish wants, and was no doubt receiving the blunt end of the Order’s judgement.

Why did Allen ire him so? He didn’t understand. The very thought of the white-haired moyashi was causing his adrenaline to run once again, banishing whatever drowsiness in his body. Now he owed the beansprout one, and that thought made his lip curl. He dug his fingernails into the ground and began to heft up his spent body.

Almost immediately, his unwilling legs gave in on him, causing his knees to meet the ground, the rest of his body following in succession until he lay on his side, staring at his broken shell-like hand. Against his will, pale, cracked eyelids covered his rather dark orbs as a sea of blackness washed over his worn system.

* * *

 Awakening to darkness, Kanda immediately scrambled into a standing position gracelessly, thankful that no one was present to see the somewhat undignified performance. He ran his slender fingers through his dark hair, removing rogue locks from his face so he could see. A soft breath left his lips as he stole a glance around himself, body tense and at the ready.

Distinguishing nothing but the ruins of Mater, he relaxed visibly although kept his posture at the ready for the unexpected, were it to occur. His memories flooded back into his mind, leaving him somewhat unsettled. Wasn’t he supposed to be dead? If so, then how was it that he was in the exact place that he had last recalled?

He frowned and glanced down at himself to find that his own deteriorating body had healed over to it’s characteristic perfection by reason of his Second Exorcist regenerative abilities. His hand raised itself to his chest to run over the black tattoo imprinted upon his fair skin.

Glancing back to where he had last seen Alma’s remains, he found it to be completely empty. A faint smirk crossed his lips as he turned away, a spark of fondness lighting within his chest - not that he would ever admit it, of course.

“You….always doing unnecessary things,” he muttered under his breath.

Slowly, he began to walk away, casting another glance around the ruins, shrouded by the darkness of night. His eyes scanned the pathways that were lit dimly by moonlight as he walked, relying on his instinct more so than his sight to guide himself.

He wondered what all had gone down concerning the Black Order and Allen during his absence. No doubt something had happened in the time that he had been transported to Mater by the white-haired boy. He rolled his eyes. Allen had most likely won the battle somehow and returned to Headquarters to empty the kitchen of any and all food, the glutton.

His feet carried him through Mater by instinct and memory as his mind had focused itself elsewhere, namely his fellow exorcists. Why his mind did that, he didn’t know. Perhaps it was because he was headed back for the Headquarters. It was the most likely reason.

Leaving Mater, he immediately directed himself towards the nearest populated area. It would take a him a day or two to return, he realized, the thought causing a characteristic “Che,” to pass his lips. Troublesome, but he supposed he couldn’t complain. At least he had been out of the general range of that damned Order for a little while. If there was one thing that he was certain of, it was that he still bore a strong abhorrence for the organization. Even so, he was still an exorcist, and would be more than delighted to end the existence of those cursed akuma.

For how long he had trodden through barren land, he wasn’t aware, but eventually, when  he landed upon a small township, the sky was bright.

His eyes scanned the small populated area. The sight of quaint houses and murky smoke drifting up into the sky from chimneys, creating curlicues of coal grey in its ascent met his eyes. The town seemed well populated, considering its location, but Kanda didn’t care about such trivial details.

Upon entering, he immediately looked around for a place where he could receive necessary food and decent clothing. With his shirt completely tattered from the battle, his torso was left bare against the elements; clearly not ideal.

He was fully aware of the gazes that were fixated upon him, but was not in any way surprised. He knew that he was a sight to see at the moment, and dearly hoped that he could find some clothes to cover himself up and perhaps divert some of the attention that he was rather unsubtly receiving.

Stepping into a small catering establishment of some sort, he sat himself down in a corner, glad that there didn’t seem to be any other customers present. Nonetheless, the scent of food being cooked was very much evident, and even Kanda found himself grudgingly admitting its appeal to himself.

Only then did he realize that he had no currency of any sort. The thought fell on him like a boulder, seeing as he despised paying debts. Nonetheless, he had no choice at the moment. Forsaking his moral, he ordered a small meal of plain stew and bread as he could not expect the establishment to cook tempura soba.

Placing the bill on himself once finished, he spared a brief thanks to the owner of the establishment before leaving. Stepping through the streets, he was quick to disappear into the shopping district of the place. Swiftly, he selected a loose pair of black pants and a white button up shirt.

Disappearing into the back of the store he had entered, he threw on the new clothes, leaving the top two buttons of the shirt undone. Absently, he took a belt and fastened it through the belt loops in his pants after tucking his shirt in. He threw a black vest over the piece and found a ribbon to fasten his hair back into place. Finally, he grabbed a coat and slung it over his arm, choosing not to wear it just yet. Once again, he had the bill sent to himself so he could pay at a later date, before leaving the store once again.

As soon as he had exited, he began to make his way out of the township. If he had assumed that the addition of clothing on his part would redirect the stares and hushed whispers of the passerby, he was most definitely wrong. If anything, he turned the heads of many more ladies, and even some men, much to his chagrin.

Nevertheless, he had not yet been stopped, so he continued on until he had left the town. His eyes trailed up to the sky as he noted the humidity that hung in the air. At this rate, regardless of how mercilessly the sun shone, there would most likely be rain. Earlier that morning, the sky had been rather red in hue as well.

His hand moved to rest on Mugen’s hilt, only to pass through air and land on his hip. A frown curled onto his lips. The lack of his katana left him feeling strange. It was not often that he didn’t have Mugen within arm’s reach of himself. To be without it was unsettling on many different levels.

He settled on trying to ignore the alien feeling and pressed on. He had no time to waste, after all. He had a favour to pay back to the beansprout, and he would not let it slide. No matter how much of an idiot Allen was, Kanda could not allow the deed that he had done go unpaid. It would never sit well with him, as much as he was loath to admit it to himself.

* * *

Stepping off the ship he had boarded to reach the island upon which the Headquarters was located, he immediately broke into a quick-paced walk through the small town that had also called the island home. His sharp gaze idly scanned the passerby as he walked, quickly leaving the town within a few short minutes.

He then entered the length of forest that separated the Headquarters from the rest of civilization. Slowing his pace slightly, he made his way through the expanse of flora. He spared a glance at his surroundings, relaxing slightly at the familiar atmosphere. Perhaps he ought to meditate out here sometime. It was quiet enough, save the sounds of nature.

Much too soon for his liking, he broke through the forest’s edge and spotted the Headquarters. He headed for the tall building that reeked of foreboding. An evident frown curled his lips downwards as he eyed the establishment. Somehow, it seemed rather different from what he had previously seen; different enough to cause him to approach with caution, at the very least.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as he entered the Headquarters, or at least nothing visible. He swept off his coat in a lithe movement and allowed it to hand over his arm as he continued to walk. Perhaps he would spare some time for nutrition, seeing as he hadn’t eaten anything for a good day now.

Upon entering the cafeteria, he realized that something was indeed wrong. Spotting both Lavi and Lenalee sitting in a corner picking at what he assumed must be their uneaten lunch, he scrutinized them. After a moment, he headed over to where Jerry was working on dinner, and ordered his typical tempura soba.

“ _Yuu-chan!_ "

The cry knocked him out of his state of concentration and he flinched as thoughts of Alma flooded his head. Reaching up, he gripped his head, almost as if in pain. Whirling around, he glared at the audacious redhead, who had called out his name.

“Don’t you _dare_ say my first name, usagi, or I will  _kill_ you,” he hissed, his eyes glaring daggers at the redhead. He stopped short as he realized that the two seemed unusually low-spirited. Turning his back to them, he rubbed at his temples before accepting his meal and taking it to an empty table.

“Kanda….you’re alive…!” Lenalee’s statement was shaky, as if she was on the brink of tears.

“Che,” he responded tersely, not bothering to look at them. He made quick work of his meal, his mind set on retrieving Mugen.

“As rude as ever, eh, Yuu-chan?”

Kanda’s head whipped around to stare murderously at the redhead. “I will _murder_ you,” he snapped hotly. After what had occurred, he never wanted to hear that name lest he remember what had happened to the one that had called him such first.

Before he could turn back to his food, however, the sound of muffled sobbing reached his ears. Turning back to the pair, he was caught off-guard at the sight of seeing the girl dissolving into tears with Lavi attempting to comfort her.

Clucking his tongue, he opted to leave the room before he was dragged into whatever the affair was. As he made his way to where he knew his Mugen was, he momentarily hesitated. He could hear voices from the other side of the door, speaking in muted tones. What they spoke of, Kanda didn’t bother to listen..

Not bothering to knock on the door, he opened it to find Komui and Inspector Lvellie discussing something or the other. His eyes drifted from one to the other, making note of their reactions as they spotted him.

Komui seemed much older than when Kanda had last seen him, for what reason he knew not. The somewhat absent-minded Branch Chief seemed much more somber than what Kanda was accustomed to seeing. He sighed and shut the door behind him, listening to Komui practically jump to his feet and run over to him.

“K-Kanda?”

An irritated expression crossed the raven’s face as hands began to pat his arms and prod at him, as if to make sure he was real.

“What are you doing?” he questioned through gritted teeth, moving to slap away the hands that were still touching him. A lopsided expression that was comprised of something between a smile and a face that was on the border of breaking into tears plastered itself stupidly on Komui’s face. A sigh passed Kanda’s lips. That was more standard.

“Ahh - it really is you, Kanda! For a moment I thought it was some weird robot thing that your weird dad made or something--” Komui rambled.

“The only weird one here at the moment is you,” Kanda snapped, his patience wearing thin. His eyes drifted over to Lvellie, who was observing him with a guarded neutral stare. His frown deepened. If there was a list of people within the order that he absolutely despised, Lvellie was definitely among those at the top.

“Alma Karma is dead, correct?”

Kanda’s frown quickly gave way to an open scowl as he glared at the inspector from the corner of his sharp gaze. Even with a death stare directed towards him, Lvellie had no intention of backing down.

“The body - where is he?”

“Che.” It took Kanda every shred of his self-control to not lose his temper with that infuriating inspector. “I have no intention of saying anything further,” he finally stated, after sufficiently calming himself down to the point where his voice would not seem taut with anger. He allowed all the coldness possible to seep into his words, however, as they were hissed icily to the inspector. “Do not assume that I’ve forgiven the Order.”

One of Lvellie’s henchmen were quick to rebuke him for his words, to which he responded with an irritated clucking of his tongue. Brainless idiot - following that inspector around like a headless chicken. That meant two things: the man was blinded by his loyalty to Lvellie, and the man would end up dead sooner than later because of Lvellie.

Ignoring them, he strode over to where a curtain hung, and moved it aside in a single graceful movement. The sight that met his eyes was rather grim, despite the fact that life still existed within the area of the room that was revealed to him.

A mop of blond hair topped by a tasseled beret moved, and Kanda caught sight of the teary-eyed chief of the Asia Branch of the Order. He frowned, but remained by the curtain as Bak quietly announced his arrival to the sleeping weapons manufacturer, Zuu.

Silently, he stepped over to the bedside, catching sight of a rusted Mugen within Zuu’s grasp. As he continued to watch, not daring to retrieve his katana just yet, Zuu’s eyes cracked open to stare up at him.

Bak was quick to mention that the elderly man had been asleep for quite a while, but Kanda ignored him in favour of listening to the words that Zuu had for him.

“....why...did you come back..?”

The one question was the only sentence that registered in Kanda’s mind. Whatever else had been spoken entered one ear and left the other without his knowledge. He vaguely managed to understand a few words concerning the faults of the elder, but his mind whirled around the one simple question.

Why had he returned? The answer was simple to him: he had returned to repay the debt he owed to Allen. Kanda bit his tongue to prevent himself from speaking his thoughts aloud. No doubt he would gain some form of ridicule for his words, had he spoken. After all, it may have come across as a foolish reason to the ignorant beholder.

He shook his head almost invisibly to clear his mind and stared down at Zuu as he continued to speak. However,  before he could continue his list of faults and blames, Kanda’s flawless hand reached down and laid itself atop of the elderly man’s own bony one.

A smile that almost hinted amusement but not quite adorned Kanda’s face as he watched the weapons manufacturer. In a tone that could be regarded almost pleasant, he spoke his next words of, “Well...you’re also going to hell then.”

Whatever Zuu had taken from his words, he wasn’t completely certain, but he noted the smile that took over the old man’s features.

Invoking the rusted Mugen, he watched as it began to emanate a dazzling light in his hand. His face remained calm as he observed his anti-akuma weapon return to the form he was so familiar with. He took hold of the katana, lifting it from Zuu’s grasp and brandishing it.

After a mere moment of re-acquainting himself with his sword, he lowered it and sheathed it. His eyes raked across the room to meet those of all who were present before he silently stalked out. He needed to find a certain moyashi.

He made his way to the dormitory of the headquarters, assuming that Allen was within his room since he had not seen the white-haired boy with his two close companions in the cafeteria. He strode over to the door of the younger exorcist and raised his hand, knocking thrice, sharply.

He waited in silence for Allen to answer him, glaring at the door as though it had wronged him. He clucked his tongue in irritation as seconds passed, and soon, a minute. Raising his hand, he knocked again, this time with more force. “Oi! Moyashi! Open up!” he called, his voice generously laden with annoyance.

“What are you doing, Kanda?” he heard the familiar feminine voice, and turned to see the rabbit and the girl walking towards him, both wearing matching frowns: something he could not say he was accustomed to.

“I need to talk with the beansprout,” he responded abruptly.

The two exchanged a glance with each other before Lenalee looked away at the cold floor, seeming to be on the verge of tears once again. Lavi turned to watch Kanda for a few moments before shaking his head.

“He’s not here any more. He’s joined the Noah.”

The unprecedented sound of loud clunking metal echoed through the seemingly empty hall as Mugen clattered to the ground.

 


	2. Impression

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm honestly surprised that people liked this...thank you all so much, really. It means a lot even if it might seem small~  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter too despite it's lack of action ^~^"  
> Again, D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura and not me.

Sitting within the dimly lit recesses of his room, eyes staring distantly out of the window, Neah Walker contemplated calmly on his situation. Troublesome as it was, the Noah of destruction did not have the freedom to take action as he wished; instead, repressing his inherent urge to kill the Millennium Earl.

Rather, he couldn’t help but find himself pitying the man. Humouring him, Neah opted to join the family of Noah, as he had nowhere else to go. At best, he would be locked up and guarded by that Link man that Allen was always seen with, did he resolve to return to the Black Order. The Noah was not about to run straight into captivity; not when the manipulation of the Millennium Earl was a much easier situation to resign himself to.

Another bothersome aspect was Allen’s memories, which refused to lay dormant within him. A strange phenomenon, he determined, as his memories had not plagued the exorcist until he had inadvertently summoned them to reconstruct the ark before it fell into absolute devastation and took them with it.

It was doubtless that, were he to spend time in the presence of the Black Order exorcists, he would find himself afflicted by his innate animosity against innocence. That could only result in deaths on the exorcists’ part. Not to mention the sight of Allen’s comrades stirred the boy’s memories of them within him.

Allen’s relationships with his fellow exorcists confused Neah to no end, especially that boy with the long black hair and dark - or was it blue..? - eyes. The emotions that washed over his body at the mere thought of him could not be justified with words. Whether it was hatred or fondness, he was uncertain, but he didn’t dare risk finding out.

A slight chuckle evoked from his lips. If he were to feel Allen’s emotions each time he faced them, it would doubtless be tiresome. For now, since the boy’s consciousness was still strong within him despite the state of slumber it had been resigned to, he would have to stay away from the Black Order.

His safest option at the moment was to remain with the Noah. The Millennium Earl was easily wrapped around his finger, he realized; the man was desperate to have him return, after all. Perhaps, when the time came, he would pilot his sway over the Earl.

An umber hand created a resting place for his cheek as he leaned against his propped up arm. Amber eyes slid over to the door of his room and a sigh left his lips. The moments were far and few in between when he had the opportunity to isolate himself with his thoughts. Much of the time, Road would be close to him due to her affection for his host, Allen, or that troublesome Wisely would read his mind without his permission.

Raking the gloved parasitic hand through his snow-white hair almost lazily, he allowed his eyes to slide shut. The lack of activity was rather nice, he supposed, and yet, he felt somewhat restless. Perhaps he would abandon his privacy for a little while longer to entertain his fellow Noah.

Pushing himself to his feet, he absently twined a lock of pristine hair around his index finger. It was growing rather long due to the lack of attention that had been granted it. It nearly fell to his shoulder blades. Shrugging off the thought, he pulled his tresses into a loose ponytail and strolled over towards the door of his room.

Laying a gloved hand upon the doorknob, he twisted it before pushing the door open in a quick movement. Stepping out of the door, he was almost immediately rammed by a pink umbrella with a jack-o-lantern at its summit. Grabbing said umbrella by its cane, he raised it upright and stared at it.

“Road is looking for you, Lero!” the object exclaimed, the carved grin hewn into the pumpkin seeming to leer at him. With a pleasant smile, he lobbed the golem away from himself with faint amusement.

“What does she need now?” he questioned genially. He did dearly hope she did not want him to play with dolls once again, especially not if those dolls were humans. He would have preferred to direct as little attention possible toward himself; Road was persistent as well, and rarely took no for an answer.

“Her homework, Lero! Everyone else is busy except you, so you’d better hurry, Lero.”

A long-suffering sigh elicited from his lips as he stepped past the umbrella, subtly ignoring its urging for him to quicken his pace. “And why are you following me?” he questioned, the smile still present upon his dark features and a spark of annoyance present with each step he took.

“To make sure you go there, Lero!”

Grabbing Lero by the cane end, Neah began to twirl the umbrella lazily, humming absently to himself. Blatantly, he ignored the complaints from the golem, only increasing the speed of his movements.

As he took his sweet time walking to Road’s room, Lero had become nothing but a pink and orange blur at his side. At the speed in which he was whirling the umbrella that he would admit irked him somewhat, even the protests of the golem were muffled.

As he reached the door that belonged to the girl, he tossed Lero back down the hall and sighed in relief at the loss of his unwanted company. Troublesome thing...he really didn’t like it at all, but it wasn’t as though he would receive good report if it were to, say, suddenly disappear.

“Road - it’s me,” he called, knocking on the door. It was soon opened to him to reveal the child-faced Noah of dreams. A smiles took over her features as she glanced up at him.

“Allen! Great - come in and I’ll grab my books…”

She disappeared into her room, and he followed her somewhat apprehensively. He barely caught two of the many books that were tossed to him, ducking abruptly as the other three struck the door, barely missing his head. Wryly, he picked up the remaining books and stepped over to her.

“Everyone is stupid, and the Millennium Earl is the only one that can actually do it properly,” she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest. “But he’s busy, and so is Lulu. Wisely’s just lazy, even though he could probably answer everything,” she explained petulantly. Her gaze met his, and a smile crossed her features once again. “But you’ll help, won’t you, Allen?”

A resigned smile crept along dark lips. Road refused to relinquish her use of the name ‘Allen’, despite the fact that the boy was sleeping somewhere within the recesses of his psyche. Poor child - he would disappear entirely some day, Neah knew. It wasn’t as though that was what he wanted: it was merely a fact that he could not alter.

“Allen?”

Road’s voice snapped him back to the present, and he nodded, flipping open one of the books that rested within his arms. Moving back, he sat himself down on a wooden chair, laying all the books, save the one he had opened, upon the ground.

“Do you have a pen, Road?” he questioned. His hand darted up a moment later to catch the object that had been lobbed towards him. He began to scribble down the answers to the questions written upon the papers.

As he worked, he could hear a sigh elicit from the lips of the child-like Noah. He didn’t need to lift his gaze to know that her eyes were fixed on him. Absently, he wondered just what was going through her mind. No doubt many things - she did have a rather strange relationship with Allen after all.

“You know, you’re a lot more boring like this.” Her words caused him to look up from the book, tilting his head slightly in a wordless request for elaboration on her part.

She tapped her cheek languidly with a finger, resting her head against her palm as she lay on her stomach upon her bed. A frown spanned her lips as she observed him in silence for a few moments. She then shrugged and let her arms cross in front of her upon the mattress.

“Well, Allen always does things that no one expects, and he has the most entertaining reactions to things too. You...you’re just predictable. And boring.”

Neah’s smile grew somewhat strained at her words and a chuckle passed his lips. “Maybe it’s because you’ve known me for longer than you’ve known him?” he ventured, lowering his eyes down to the completed homework upon his lap.

He flipped the book shut and lowered it to the ground before grabbing the next in a lithe movement with seemingly practiced ease. Flicking through the pages, he set to work once again, scratching answers onto the blanks.

“Maybe…” she sighed, planting her face into the mattress for a few moments before lifting it to rest on her crossed arms. Her slightly narrowed amber eyes scrutinized him once again, silently, as a fresh pout traversed across her features at being ignored.

Neah tapped the blunt end of the pen against the book before shutting it and placing it atop the previously completed one. Grabbing the next, he commenced his moderately laborious task.

He doubted he was on good terms with many other of the Noah, save the Earl, as he was the traitor that had massacred the previous family. He deeply hoped that would not be the case with this family; his own fondness for them was beginning to grow - Millennium Earl excluded.

He still could not find it in his heart to erase the resentment towards the him. The man who had devoured Mana and assumed position as the Millennium Earl. That power should have belonged to Neah himself - not that faux man.

“Hey, Allen, what’s wrong?”

Once again, Neah’s train of thought was abruptly derailed by Road. He glanced up at her to find one bluish-black eyebrow raised at him. Looking briefly back down at the book, he found the pen within his hand to have snapped into two. Somewhat sheepishly, he set the writing utensil aside.

“Sorry about that,” he apologized. “I’ll get you a new one sometime.”

Slender shoulders shrugged as she slung him another pen to use. “You don’t have to. It’s not like it’s something important.”

Without a verbal response, Neah caught the pen and resumed his activity.

“You’re awfully edgy. Are you planning to murder the family again?” Road questioned, her tone almost nonchalant despite the weight that the subject carried. Neah could not help but look up at her once more, surprise lighting his golden gaze.

“Of course not,” he denied swiftly. An amicable smile crossed his dark facial features once again. “I’d hate it if you judged everything now by what happened then, you know.”

“It isn’t like you can blame me for thinking like that,” she retorted in a monotone almost, no edge to her voice. He nodded in agreement.

“Understandable...it’s all right if you don’t trust me.”

“I’d trust Allen more than you any day,” she voiced, a moue decorating her young face.

“And to think the boy is on the enemy side,” he replied casually.

She shrugged. “It makes things more interesting, don’t you think?”

“I think that Tyki might be rubbing off on you,” Neah jested light-heartedly. He chuckled as she slid off the bed and stepped over to poke his umber cheek with a slender finger.

“I’m smart enough to not answer all my homework with the number twelve,” she pointed out.

“But don’t you make all of us do your homework for you?” he queried.

A flush painted over her discoloured, dark face as the truth of the inquiry. She poked his face again with noticeably more strength than earlier before reaching down to pick up the last book. “I do some of it myself too!” she denied fervidly.

Neah watched in amusement as she embarked on her self-appointed task of finishing her homework for the remaining book. A chuckle must have passed his lips, as an embarrassed frown plastered itself gracelessly onto her face.

“I’m going to get you back for this one,” she warned, a faint pout decorating her lips once again.

“Don’t go too far, please,” he requested pleasantly as he shut the book that he had completed.

She glanced over at him, a smile beginning to crawl onto her face. “Oh…?”

He sighed and chuckled. “I’ll give you a month’s supply of candy.”

“Deal,” she interjected without a thought. Ah, he forgot how much he missed the child-like attitude of the girl. He had never truly hated her after all.

“Did you need me for anything else?” he questioned, folding his hands atop the closed book that remained stationary upon his lap.

“Well...not really,” she admitted, frowning down at the pages of the book and scrawling down a few answers.

He nodded and set the book aside before beginning to stand. “Then maybe I should leave.” Near soundlessly, he strode over to the door.

“You don’t have to,” Road called after him.

He opened the door partially before turning to look back at her and smiling. “I’d be a disturbance if I stayed while you were trying to do your homework,” he responded before stepping out of the room and shutting the door before him.

No sooner had he done so did a certain golem ram into his torso once again, almost causing his back to collide with Road’s door. Reaching out, he grasped the canopy of the umbrella, compressing it against the pole in barely tangible annoyance.

“Yes, what do you want this time?” he questioned, his still present smile visibly strained.

“Let go of me, Lero!” the golem yelped in comical protest to the actions of the Noah.

Neah loosened his grip around the umbrella, allowing it to free itself and immediately fly out of his arm’s reach. “It’s chasing me, Lero!” The umbrella promptly turned and dashed off in another direction. Neah sighed. Sometimes that golem seemed to run into him purposefully in order to annoy him. Well, it seemed to be working at the very least.

Traversing the short hall, he made his way back to his room at a leisurely pace. Upon turning a corner, he felt something else collide with his figure. Glancing down, his amber eyes were met with the sight of a certain golden sphere shaped creature with a discolouration shaped like a cross fleury. Neah blinked.

“Timcanpy?”

The golem seemed to bare his tiny fangs at him, but it did not move away. He reached out and cupped the creature in his hands, staring down at him. Without a word, he resumed walking in the direction of his room once again.

A slight stinging sensation at his ungloved hand  caused him to look down. He was met with the sight of Timcanpy with his small teeth buried in his hand. Crimson began to bead at the small puncture wound, and he sighed, carefully prying the golem from his appendage.

“That wasn’t very nice of you,” he stated simply. “I thought you wouldn’t be able to follow Allen all the way over here.”

Opening the door to his room, he stepped in and quickly shut it behind him. Leaning against the door, he held the golem at eye level and watched him carefully. He felt a sudden rush of affection flow through his body and resisted the urge to hug the creature.

“Why are you here? Allen isn’t here.”

Timcanpy was motionless for a few moments before flying off his hand and over to his bed. Lowering itself onto the mattress, the golem curled up and stilled once again. If Neah had to guess, he could almost assume that Timcanpy was distressed about something or the other; if a golem could even feel distress, that is.

Settling on not disturbing the yellow creature, he strode over to the window and crossed his arms atop the sill. The sight outside was nothing short of dreary. Rain fell down upon the scene and the sky was painted in grey. Neah did prefer sun to rain, if he were to be honest. Rain was a depressing state of weather.

Extending his ungloved hand, he laid it flat upon the cold glass that shaped the window. Drops of water hung off the exterior side of the window, dripping down every now and then, catching other droplets and spilling off onto the sill.

Feeling a sudden weight fall upon his head, he reached up to find Timcanpy perching within his white locks. Carefully, he plucked the golem off himself, and stared down at him. Almost immediately, he pressed closer to Neah’s chest.

A soft clucking of the tongue exited dark lips as the Noah felt the slight tremor that was displayed by the golem in his hands. Shifting his arms slightly, he hugged the creature to his chest, careful to not do it any harm. Within the span of a few moments, he felt the shaking cease.

“Silly Tim,” he admonished quietly. “Allen isn’t here any more, and if you stay, you’ll only get hurt.”

He felt the golem merely nuzzle against him, and a faint smile plastered itself upon his monochrome skin, although it didn’t quite reach his golden eyes, which seemed to emanate a faint glow within the dullness of the room that he occupied.

“You’re so foolish; like a child,” Neah murmured, poking Timcanpy between the two minuscule horns that protruded from his crown. The golem didn’t seem to pay much mind to the criticism, instead remaining quietly in Neah’s grip.

“But then again, like owner like pet, I suppose...your Allen was foolish, and see what happened to him.” As a prickle of pain erupted through his hand once again, Neah could only chuckle and pry Timcanpy’s teeth off his hand once again. “All right - no more talking badly of him,” the Noah responded to the unsaid accusation.

Timcanpy grew more passive at the promise, settling back into Neah’s grip comfortably. Holding onto the gold-hued creature with his left hand, he raised his right to summon the gate to the piano room of the old ark. Perhaps he could manage to convince the golem to leave him; the sentiment that flooded his body that the spherical creature had instilled was troublesome. He could do without it.

Stepping into the pristine white piano room, he sat himself down on one of the couches, sitting Timcanpy down on his lap. The golem seemed to be staring up at him curiously despite the obvious lack of eyes. A fake smile spanned his lips.

“Why don’t you go back to the Order, Tim?” he suggested. “I’m sure that that’s a place you’re more familiar with, yes?”

As if in protest, the golem flew up to his shoulder and lodged himself there with his small feet-like appendages. The counterfeit smile remained on Neah’s lips, but he made no move to pry the creature off himself.

“It’s a better place for you, isn’t it? Why don’t you go back to that Lenalee girl instead of staying here?” If Allen’s memories served him correctly, Timcanpy tended to hover around the dark-haired girl when Allen was absent. He felt the grip on his shoulder tighten, and a patient sigh rested on his lips.

“I know you want to be with Allen, but I’m not Allen,” he continued. “And worst case, I might end up hurting you. Won’t you leave for his sake?”

An unexpected sharp pain at the side of his head caused a slightly comical yelp to leave Neah’s lips. Immediately, a hand flew over his mouth in embarrassment. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Timcanpy, teeth lodged in his ear. He lowered his hand and poked at the golem. “That hurt, Tim,” he stated, tugging lightly on one golden wing.

Eventually, the teeth were removed from his ear, and the golem crouched on his shoulder almost querulously. Neah pulled languidly at one of Timcanpy’s ‘cheeks’ with a sigh. “What will it take for you to go?”

Almost irritably, teeth nipped his fingers sharply. He merely pulled his appendages away only to poke the golem once again. It didn’t seem like he wanted to leave anytime soon. How troublesome. He turned to look at Timcanpy, only to find the beginnings of tears forming at where his eyes would have been. Neah blinked.

Prying him off his shoulder, the Noah smiled once again, the barest hint of sincerity within the expression. He rubbed his hand over the golem’s head and held him to his chest.

“You really are like a child,” he commented. His gaze drifted up from the creature to stare out one of the windows in the room. Golden eyes narrowed vaguely as a faint, pale reflection stared emptily at him with dull grey eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nea is currently in Allen's body, and not his old one, but I thought it would be less confusing if we referred to him as Nea and not Allen since it's his consciousness and not Allen's that's directing the flow of the chapter....if that makes any sense?  
> I hope you liked it~ if you didn't, that's all right too...I'll try to do better on the next chapter ^.^


	3. Fade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back and more tired than ever~ I really should stop writing when I'm tired...I don't even know -.-

“What did you say?”  Kanda’s voice was eerily calm, echoing ominously through the hall as he fixated the rabbit and the girl with a dark stare. Mugen remained stationary upon the ground, seemingly forgotten by its owner. Tension burdened the atmosphere around the three figures with merciless languor as silence reigned for moments that seemed like an eternity.

“He’s gone,” Lavi repeated, his voice lacking its typical blitheness.

Kanda’s jaw tightened. It disconcerted him to hear the uncharacteristic gravity in his words and expression. He dubiously suspended the silence between them a few moments, daring to try the truth of the apprentice Bookman’s words.

Sinking down moderately, his fingers grasped stiffly around Mugen as he retrieved the katana from the cold floor. The silence between them had yet to be broken by obnoxious laughter, courtesy of a certain redhead. Somewhere at the periphery of his mentality, Kanda hoped that it would be shattered as such. After all, the beansprout would not abandon them just like that.

“Yuu…?

Within the time frame of a blink of an eye, a black line had been drawn through the air. Mugen was sheathed once again in silence. Kanda’s scowl was partially veiled by his fringe, his eyes not looking at either the rabbit or Lenalee.

“I told you to never call me that, usagi,” he near spat, coldly, as blood began to bead from a fine line that had been drawn on Lavi’s neck.

“Kanda…”

Ignoring Lenalee’s voice, he did an about face and stalked through the hall, turning a corner and leaving them without another word. His morale had deteriorated considerably, leaving him on edge and irritable.

Allen was not the sort of person who would make an impromptu switch of alliances. Even if they both harboured a mutual repulsion for the Order, it made little sense as to why the white-haired boy would suddenly cast away all that he had been fighting for and support the enemy.

“Che…” the annoyed sound escaped pale lips as Kanda stalked through the halls of the Headquarters, no particular destination in mind. Wonderful; at best, he would rope himself up in a wild-goose chase after the stupid beansprout.  

Slowing to a stop, he spared a glance at the moyashi’s door once again. After a split-second of hesitation, he laid his hand upon the handle of the door, and twisted it open.

Entering the room, he scanned the area observantly. As far as he could perceive, nothing seemed to be out of place within the expanse. If there had been a struggle, there was no visible evidence to the naked eye.

Stepping further into the room, Kanda’s eyes narrowed. It was definitely not the first time he had traversed into Allen’s room; he was familiar with the setting. However, it was indeed the first time he had felt such an air of trepidation within the chamber. An underlay of threat was tangible, raising goosebumps on his skin. Instinctively, his hand drifted over to Mugen’s hilt.

His dark gaze trailed over to the bedside table that had beforehand stood lamentably bare. Crowning the wooden furnishing was a plain, cylindrical glass vase. Within the vase, bound by a long red ribbon, rested a bouquet of pale pink lotus buds.

The sight caused him to stop short, his center of gravity made an impromptu shift, almost landing him on the floor once again. Reaching out, he laid a hand against the wall beside him to balance his figure once again.

The sight begged the question of reality in his mind, for whether the buds were illusory or real, he could not distinguish. It was not a view that he was accustomed to discerning in the white-haired boy’s room.

Treading over to the side table, he extended his arm, the tips of his pale digits barely brushing over the silken texture of the muted pink petals. Immediately, his fingers curled back to form a loose fist with his hand. The flowers were real, he realized.

Why Allen would have the floral arrangement within his room and upon his side table no less, Kanda didn’t know. Perhaps it was a gift from that Lou Fa girl who had a rather unsubtle infatuation with the white-haired beansprout.

Cynically, Kanda wondered just why flowers and not food. The gluttonous boy was a slave to his stomach and not his sight after all; excluding his perplexing fixation with ‘saving’ the akuma.

Regardless of the reason, Kanda found himself transfixed by the sight of the serene blossoms in the midst of the foreboding that liberally blanketed the room. His hand fell back to his side, and his eyes drifted from the bouquet to the window.

Sighting another irregularity, he strode over and swiped his thumb over the outer edge of the sill. Lifting his thumb, he stared at the rusted reddish hue of dried blood. It was so faint that he had not taken heed to it at first, but it was certainly there, and in a spot far too precise to be accidental.

“I’m afraid Allen’s room is off limits.”

A voice derailed Kanda’s train of thought and he glanced over his shoulder to the blond man who had spoken.

“According to who?” he retorted, somewhat aggravated at being caught red-handed in the beansprout’s room. Link, however, was not so quick to lose his composed, disciplined demeanour.

“Inspector Lvellie,” he responded coolly. Kanda breathed out a sigh and turned back to the window.

“Tell your inspector that he can dish out orders, but he can’t enforce them.”

“Please leave.”

A frown curled onto Kanda’s lips. “I will leave when I want to.”

“Kanda--”

“Why are you still patrolling the moyashi’s room when he isn’t even here any more? Some surveillance guard that makes you,” the raven snapped coldly. Link had unusually adept battle skills, didn’t he? With that much aptitude, Kanda had to speculate about why the blond had not stopped Allen from leaving.

Upon receiving no response, He scowled. “You let him go, didn’t you?”

“I don’t see how this concerns you so much.”

“Answer me!”

“I did not. Now please leave the room,” Link requested once again.

Doing an about-face, Kanda stared darkly at the CROW member. “You are capable enough to stop him, and you’re always around him. Why is he not here?”

“Kanda, if you do not leave, your action will be reported to Supervisor Komui.”

Despite the unsatisfactory results that he was receiving from his interrogation, Kanda did not wish to risk the wrath of having to sort through Komui’s unattended towers of paperwork for the scientist. Or worse yet, have to deal with the experimentation of yet another Komurin.

“Che.” With a cluck of his tongue, he wordlessly stepped past Howard Link and stared out the door and down the hall.

Leaving Allen’s room, he turned once again and strode towards the door that led to his own room. Laying a hand on the handle, he aggressively jerked his hand downward and abruptly pushed the door open. Following his entrance was the sharp sound of the door being shut behind him. His posture immediately transitioned from tense to weary as he stepped over to his bed.

Lowering himself into a seated position, he laid his katana beside him and slumped over, leaning on his knees. His dark gaze bored into the floor as he gathered his discoveries into a comprehensible whole.

Allen was gone. Allen had allied with the Noah. According to what he could gather, no one had attempted to stop him. Kanda bit his tongue in displeasure. Was that all the tenacity that the moyashi possessed? He had been ardent in his occupation of fulfilling his title as ‘the destroyer who could save’, and that all led to this? His abandonment?

Kanda’s vexation was evident in the rigid stance of his body. His hands were balled into loose fists and the metallic tang of blood streamed across his tongue as the inside of his cheek was involuntarily mutilated by his teeth.

His gaze lifted from the floor to the lone hourglass that sat solemnly upon his bedside table. The soft pink blossom within it was a cruel reminder of his finite existence. He reached out, his pale, slender fingers and took hold of the ornate, yet simple object.

Resting it in his lap, he laid a hand upon the upper half of the hourglass, within which the lotus rested. The pressure that his teeth subjected the flesh of his cheek to was intensified as thoughts of Alma flooded his mind. He winced as a searing pain flared up in his head.

Reaching up to grasp his head as if that would dull the pain somewhat, his grip upon the hourglass was relinquished. Without the support of his limbs, the object tilted unsteadily and plummeted from where it had previously laid on the summit of his lap.

His thoughts were put in disarray as though his mind was being tampered with, and images of the crumbling Alma flooded his line of sight. The nightmare inducing scene of his loving smile contorting into a leery grin tore viciously into Kanda’s line of vision. Luminous lotus blossoms that had once blanketed his hallucination-prone mind withered dramatically to ash alongside the crumbling figure. Cracks ran abruptly through his own skin as he found his own body beginning to disintegrate. In attempts to rid himself of the nightmarish imagery that existed only within his worn mind, his eyes snapped shut.

The self-induced deprivation of sight only served to wind his worn mind to greater lengths of malevolent discharge. His eyes flew open as his inhalations struggled to traverse down his throat which had dried to the point where the inhalation of air made him want to retch.

A strangled hiss extracted itself from the confines of the raven’s throat as his nails dug unsparingly into his scalp, tugging at his dark locks without mercy. The sound was accompanied by the inexorable shattering of glass as the hourglass impacted the floor.

Shards of the object flew across the floor upon collision, a few jutting into Kanda’s boots, but not harming him. The solitary lotus lay unscathed in the midst of the maelstrom of wood and glass.

Kanda’s breaths came in hoarse, erratic gasps as he stared wild-eyed at the damage. Pinching his eyes shut, he stiffly lowered his hands from his bluish-black locks and laid them on his knees. Regulating his breaths, he settled for deviating his attention to slowing his heartbeat down to a normal pace.

His fingers dug ruthlessly into his thighs as his pale bottom lip grew pink from the blood rushing to it by reason of his teeth which stabbed into the soft flesh. A strained sigh elicited from his lips as he forced his body to relax.

Opening his eyes once again, he eyed the detriment of the hourglass with wariness. Reaching down, he scooped the bloom into his hands, and lowered it onto the table. The lone flower seemed to glow with a cold light that perfectly matched the ice that swathed Kanda’s gaze.

A shiver ran down his spine as he surveyed the blighted hourglass. Recovering quickly from his earlier nervous exhaustion, he slipped onto his knees, and meticulously began to rid the floor of broken glass, gathering it into his hands. The razor edges drew invisibly fine lines across his palms as he did so, but he paid no heed to the faint stinging sensation.

Once satisfied with the fruits of his labour, he stood and made his way over to the window of his room, steps subtly unsteady. He allowed the shards to fall from his fingers and to the ground, staring inscrutably downwards. Reaching up, he raked his fingers through his dark tresses, brushing them behind his ears.

Perhaps he should not have parted ways with Alma after all. He dearly hoped that the other did not bear any resentment towards him for his indirect abandonment. Kanda clucked his tongue. He was certain he had made the correct decision in determining to live on.

His features dissolved into a frown as he rested one arm against the windowsill. He had no desire to regret his choice; not now. He had yet to solve his current predicament, namely trying to find Allen and, roughly put, beat some sense into his thick skull before repaying the favour that he owed him. Until he had successfully completed that task, he could not afford to regret his decision.

A drop of water splashed onto his arm, followed in rapid succession by many more. Kanda’s eyes drifted up into the cloud-shrouded sky, narrowing to prevent water from dripping into his eyes. How strange; the sky wept only after Kanda had returned, and not when he had been with Alma.

Slender fingers reached up to his face, swiping away the raindrops that gave off the illusion of tears. Drawing himself back into his room by one step, he lowered his hand which was now wet with the droplets of water. Somehow, he felt as though his earlier mental breakdown was more than what had met the eye.

Perhaps he was becoming far too introspective concerning the situation, but with all that had befallen both him and the Order, he deemed his thoughts justified.

Taking a few more near silent steps backward, he lowered into a seated position upon the bed. A frown of discomposure painted his sharp features. Allen’s room seemed rather normal. Everything had been left in its place as though he intended to return.

Return to what; a life of restricted freedom and destruction, courtesy of the Black Order? Kanda found himself inferring that regardless of who won this endless battle, the outcome would still be shrouded in evil; whether the evil of the Noah or the evil of the exorcists, he didn’t know.

Then there was the matter of the blood that seemed a day or two old upon the sill. What had come about to dye the edge so flawlessly, and even if it pertained to the matter at hand Kanda wasn’t certain. It must, he deduced, considering how recent it seemed. Whether it  belonged to Allen himself or to someone else, he didn’t know. All he did know was that whatever had caused it had occurred within the span of the time he had been gone.

Allowing his eyes to slide shut, he breathed out an irritated sigh, rubbing at his temples. All this trouble was giving him a headache. Of course, the moyashi alone was enough to raise a throb of anger to his forehead, but all this added bother was maddening.

Pushing himself to his feet, he slipped his fingers around Mugen before walking over to the door. Perhaps some exercise and meditation would help de-stress him at least moderately. He desired a clear mind when he was burdened with the responsibility of having to make imperative decisions.

Pulling the door open, he slipped out into the hall and began to head for the training room.

The silence within the Headquarters save for the pelting sound of rain hitting stone was unsettling. Normally, there was no end to the cacophony that reigned within the building, comical or otherwise. The lack of incessant chatter and jubilance was a circumstance he had previously assumed would never come to pass. Now that it had, he realized just how unnatural and amiss it was.

Clucking his tongue, he pushed open the double doors that led to the training room to find it vacant. Traversing to its centre, he allowed his eyes to slide shut as he drew in a deep breath. Opening them once again, he laid his hand on the hilt of his katana, drawing it out from its sheath.

Slowly, he shifted into the stances he had familiarized himself with ever since he had acquired Mugen. The fluid, lithe movements exuded a dangerous grace as he transitioned painstakingly from one position to the next. The sedate pace of his movements caused his muscles to tighten with the practiced effort that maintaining exemplary poise from moment to moment.

His focus had aimed itself entirely upon his activity, successfully clearing his mind of any and all thoughts that had plagued him prior. Eventually, his body began to change position relying on instinct alone, allowing his eyes to slide shut.

As darkness encompassed his vision, his movements grew more rapid as his other senses directed his actions so that he would maintain the same precision that he possessed with the addition of sight. The whirring of Mugen as it cut through the silent, heavy air played melodiously in his ear, aiding him in his task of calming himself.

This progressed until Kanda had accumulated a faint sheen of sweat upon his pale skin, staining the matte complexion with a barely perceptible iridescence.

Opening his eyes, Kanda stared directly at the wall across from him, brushing his fringe out of his eyes with one hand while carefully sheathing Mugen with the other. Letting out a long exhale, he allowed his body to relax and his breaths to return to normal.

A faint satisfaction allowed itself to appear on his face in the form of a slight upward curve of his lips. Flexing his arms in order to stretch his worked muscles. A sigh passed his lips as his actions heightened the elasticity of his limbs.

He blinked. The previously thick atmosphere seemed even more laden with burden. Perhaps it was only him, but his body refused to comply with his will. Taking a step, he found that he could not determine his center of gravity, which resulted in his body gracelessly meeting the ground.

Immediately, he pushed himself upward into a seated position, leaning against one arm and massaging his temples with the other. The sudden humidity - was it really only himself? He was certain that the rain which barraged the headquarters was that of the frigid variety, and not the humid.

He shook his head as his balance gave way again, causing him to dizzily meet the ground once again. Perhaps he ought to have rested a while longer before leaving Mater, he surmised. After all, with all the damage that had been done to his body, it was merely a dream for it to be completely healed with one night’s rest.

Obstinately, he pushed himself upright again, shutting his eyes to prevent his visual perception from swimming. Unfortunately for him, the lightheaded sensation refused to abandon him, instead dragging his consciousness down into surroundings of darkness.

Kanda’s body hit the ground with a dull thump, his features twisted into a expression thinly laced with pain.

* * *

“Kanda!”

Lenalee knocked on the raven’s door once again, a slight frown emblazoned onto her features. Receiving no response, she knocked once again. “Kanda! Open the door - Brother is going to brief us for a mission!”

Her frown deepened slightly as no response was given, even with the implication of a mission. She sighed, hesitating as her pale fingers curled around the handle of his door. Shaking her head slightly, she twisted it.

“Kanda - I’m coming in!” she warned, pushing the door open.

Her eyes were met with the sight of the empty room, Kanda nowhere in sight. Stepping in, she cast a worried glance around, not daring to move further into the raven’s quarter.

“Kanda…?” she called once again, as if hoping that he would suddenly appear within a room, despite the fact that hiding was a childish thing that Kanda would never do, did he possess a remotely sane mentality.

She sighed. The only visible life in the room was that lotus that Kanda always kept… strange - it was no longer in its hourglass….

Risking a few small steps over to the side table upon which it was laid, she blinked. It would have been a nonpareil blossom, save for the lone shriveled petal that did not fall, but instead clung to the rest of the flower.

A slight shiver ran down her spine, for what reason she knew not. Shaking her head slightly, she quickly retreated out of the raven’s room, shutting the door abruptly.

Her dark eyes stared wide-eyed at the door as she attempted to regulate her somewhat erratic breaths. Her eyes darted around the hall as she forced her instinctively acting body to calm down. Her frown reappeared upon her feminine features.

Just what was it that had unnerved her so?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my...this seems to be a really psychological chapter...I don't know if that's good or not..


	4. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow...I really have to thank you all for your support and everyting~ I'm so glad you liked this story so far, and I hope I'll be able to live up to your expectations with upcoming chapters. ^.^   
> This chapter seems kind of forced to me...I'm sorry if it isn't that good. I'll try to do better the next time -.-"  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

A pale hand lifted and seemed to settle upon the window as pale grey eyes fixated themselves upon Neah with an unnerving lifelessness. Shifting his gaze away from the glass and back down to where Timcanpy rested between his chest and his arms, he allowed a soft breath to emit from his lips.

Quietly, he allowed his taut muscles to relax, lowering the golem onto his lap. Thankfully, Timcanpy’s tears no longer persisted. He found that the sight of the yellow creature crying was a sight that pained him, for what reason he wasn’t completely aware of. 

A faint moue resting on his umber lips, he tugged at Timcanpy’s cheeks, stretching them to anomalous proportions. Another smile crept onto his dark features as he gazed at the jocular creature. He freed the golem’s cheeks from the disfigurement that his fingers had temporarily subjugated them to.

Rubbing Timcanpy’s head fondly, he pushed himself to his feet, placing the golem upon his shoulder. Feeling the small appendages cling to his shirt, he reopened the gate that led to his room within the Black Ark of the Noah. 

He would allow Timcanpy to remain with him, he decided. After all, he did possess a certain affection for the golden creature; he hadn’t the heart to send him off when it was rather evident that Timcanpy wished to linger by his side. 

Teasingly, he tugged at the elongated tail of the golem, chuckling faintly as the action caused him to dig his appendages further into his shirt. “I missed you, Tim,” he admitted, curling the golem’s tail around his slender digits.

The weight of the creature shifted slightly as Timcanpy planted himself comfortably upon Neah’s shoulder. Perching upon the corner of his bed, Neah continued to pet the childish creature that rested upon himself. At the periphery of his mind, he found himself beginning to conceive just why the Earl would keep that tacky, neurotic umbrella.

Pulling at Timcanpy’s wing, his gaze drifted over to the birch door as a languid tapping projected from behind it. He lowered his arm and lifted himself instinctively to his feet before striding over to the door. Opening it, his eyes rested upon the only other white-haired Noah.

“Everyone’s going to go eat now,” Wisely drawled lazily. “You can stay here and starve if you want,” he added as a somewhat mischievous afterthought. 

Neah smiled pleasantly at the Noah of wisdom, despite the somewhat irksome tone of aloofness towards him that was expressed by Wisely. “Thanks,” he responded simply. “I’ll be there.”

Shrugging, Wisely turned his back to Neah and trudged off down the hall. Sparing a quick glance at Timcanpy, he began to follow the white-haired Noah, maintaining a short distance between them so as not to inconvenience or be inconvenienced by Wisely.

“You may be a traitor, but it would be nice if you didn’t make it so obvious.”

So much for not inconveniencing him. A sigh drew itself from Neah’s lips as he sped up his pace slightly so that he was merely a foot behind Wisely in terms of distance. “I would rather have people get used to me instead of butting in and having them hate me,” he admitted. 

A shrug of the shoulders was the immediate response he received. “Well, traitor or not, you’re still part of the family.” Wisely spoke at a leisurely pace; whether because he was prone to indolence or because he was mulling over his words, Neah wasn’t certain.

“I’m not lazy - I’m just unmotivated,” the possessor of the demon eye countered, shooting a brief glance in his direction. 

The contradiction flew over Neah’s head unheeded as he found himself entrapped within his thoughts once again. He had to ponder upon just why Wisely was granting him such grace after the heinous felony that he had committed all those years back.

It seemed abnormal in his mind; of course, there was some form of detachment between him and his fellow Noah, but he had yet to see open hostility. Part of him was immersed in gratitude for the open readiness to take him in once more, but another part of him felt threatened and even moderately distressed by the lack of customary human reaction.

Perhaps he was merely acting disproportionately and his thoughts were misguided, but Neah could not shake the foreign feeling that this entire situation was comprised of much more than meets the eye.

“You’re thinking too much. I’m not going to do anything - I’m not the fighting type anyway.” Wisely’s voice broke through his thoughts almost in a monotone. 

A faint, slightly guarded chuckle passed Neah’s lips as he flashed a smile at the Noah of wisdom. “Sorry - I just can’t help it sometimes.”

“Oh. Thinking so much must make you tired. Doesn’t it?”

Neah shrugged. He had never really considered that possibility. Perhaps it was indeed true; too much thought could cause mental weariness. 

“People don’t really think about what’s important even if they think too much,” Wisely broke in, his tone mildly scathing. A chuckle played upon Neah’s dark lips at his words.

Stepping forward, he pushed open the door to the dining hall of the ark: a dimly lit room with many framed illustrations adorning the walls. A large table, covered with a pristine tablecloth, stood in the middle of the room surrounded by fourteen chairs, upholstered in red velvet.

Opting to sit at the opposing end of the table facing the Millennium Earl’s caricatured seated form at the head of the table. Neah found his cordial smile difficult to maintain, exerting his facial muscles to retain the upward curve of his lips. He, however, could not deny his narrowed eyes the slight underlay of rancor.

Whatever mischief and dissonance had transpired in the absence of his presence had quite patently subsided to a strained silence. Neah spontaneously lowered his subtly hostile gaze to the empty plate that laid before him.

It did not require demon eyes to be aware of the piercing sets of amber gazes that were fixed upon him. Regardless of the attachment for the Noah he had re-acquainted himself with, he would never fail to recall the discomfort that inched along his spine at the notion of enduring the acutely innocuous stares of his ‘family’. Even Timcanpy seemed deterred by the attention, burying himself in the crook of Neah’s neck in hopes that the 14th’s white hair would shield him.

Only Wisely didn’t seem to care, the white-haired Noah seemingly absorbed with the consumption of his meal. 

A slight cough cut through the painfully thick air like a knife, causing Neah to lift his head and direct his gaze towards the source of the noise. Sighting the man who might as well have been his doppelganger, a faint frown curled onto Neah’s lips.

“I believe now would be an appropriate time to take my leave,” Tyki announced with a muted, neutral tone. Silently, the Noah of pleasure made his way over to the door of the room, his gaze fixed forward, not daring to deviate to his surroundings. 

“Ah, Tyki, would you take Neah with you?”  The Millennium Earl called out suddenly.

Neah froze, as did Tyki. Their two gazes turned to stare somewhat blankly at the Millennium Earl before they met the eyes of each other. Silently, Neah stood and nodded as though he feared to speak lest he shattered the delicate atmosphere that encompassed the room.

“Earl--”

“I’ll go.” Neah stared at the Millennium Earl, the painfully accursed Mana Walker, his beloved brother, before whirling around in an abrupt movement and stepping past Tyki. He exited the room with the dark-haired Noah following in succession.

“We will be recovering and destroying innocence before the exorcists can get their hands on it,” Tyki stated tersely, not sparing even a fleeting glance at Neah.

“All right.” His own response was equally terse, much to his chagrin. There went his attempts to regain a favourable status with his fellow Noah. “Where is it situated?” 

“Not too far from a place you must be well acquainted with. Does Cornwall sound familiar?”

Fighting back the urge to frown with displeasure, Neah conjured the gate that would lead to the English county with  ease, stepping back slightly to allow Tyki first passage. “After you,” he offered politely. His approach was accepted as the dark-haired Noah stepped through the gate, Neah himself following in close suit.

As the gate shut behind him, rain began to batter mercilessly at his skin. His complexion lightened to a much paler colour that was acquainted with his host body, but his eyes remained their same piercing amber. Casting a glance over to Tyki, he realized that the Noah of pleasure too had shifted into his human form, still retaining the striking charismatic appeal of his Noah self.

Timcanpy lifted off his shoulder only to alight on his head, shielding his scalp somewhat from the persistent rain. Glancing around at the county, he found the middle-class populace residing mostly indoors due to the severity of the rain.

“Why don’t we find a place to stay, 14th?” Tyki suggested, the tone of his voice still harshly neutral. Neah could not bring himself to protest at the name, however, instead, nodding wordlessly. 

As Tyki began to walk through the stone-paved streets of the seaside county, Neah followed him, his eyes fixated upon the taller man’s back. How strange… the sight somehow reminded him of the days where he and Mana would play ignorantly in the fields… That long ago time where they had merely been two innocent children with no knowledge of the world’s evils.

Was he experiencing Mana’s thoughts? That back his eyes were trained on was not Mana’s but his own. However, that same back did not turn to spare him even a single glance; it merely traversed ahead of him as a beacon for him to follow.

A flash of anger coursed through his veins. He had never deserted Mana…! He had died, but even then he had not left his beloved older twin; remaining with him, albeit dormant, in the form of the young Red. Even now, he had returned to Mana, but Mana was no longer the Mana he once recalled.

A sharp lance of pain pierced through his thoughts and he snapped back to the present with a sharp intake of breath, only to find that tiny but razor-sharp teeth were buried in his ear yet again. His eyes drifted over to the yellow golem, who promptly released him.

“Is this place decent enough?” 

Neah glanced up at the building that stood before them. It was a quaint place, not a fancy money-devouring establishment, but not an inn of the shady variety either. He nodded. 

“It looks fine,” he agreed. 

Tyki merely nodded in response, pushing the door to the inn open. Being the gentleman that he was, he held it open for Neah, who nodded in thanks before stepping in. 

Immediately, a warmth stole over his body, caressing his rain-chilled skin and causing his skin to flush very faintly. Removing Timcanpy from his hair, he rubbed his sleeve over the golem to dry him off while making his way to the receptionist.

Before he had a chance to utter a word, Tyki politely requested a room for them, placing the bill on himself. The man then proceeded to stride past him, vaguely motioning for him to follow.

Unable to object, Neah trailed behind him through the halls of the inn, stopping abruptly as he paused to open the door of the single room. Stepping in, the shorter of the two opted to slide down into a seated position upon the floor, staring down at the yellow golem that had chosen to alight upon his lap in the small depression between his crossed legs.

Tyki followed after him, shutting the door and making his way over to one of the two beds, a hand running through his veritably drenched raven locks. His eyes observed Neah carefully, his expression remaining neutral and unreadable.

“There really is nowhere to run,” Neah murmured quietly, his head lowered, pale hair shadowing his eyes, and a dry, humourless chuckle leaving his lips. Everything he had done for Mana was all for naught; they were both under the bondage of Noah’s memories and were cursed to live out the ancient hatred until they drew their last breaths.

“For all that I’ve heard of you, you don’t seem as threatening as you’re made out to be,” Tyki stated, his tone not unkind. 

Neah lifted his head and smiled unconvincingly at the man whose appearance was near uncanny to that of his own in times past. “I’m endowed with Noah’s destruction, Tyki. That doesn’t mean I want it.”

The statement seemed to surprise the seemingly older of the two. Each of them possessed the memories of Noah, but they had merely embraced the resentment that adhered to those memories. To hear a Noah, especially the 14th, say such a thing was only unprecedented.

“I hate it… I loathe it.... All of it…!” The words were hoarse and somewhat strangled as they forcibly tore themselves from Neah’s throat. Even Timcanpy had to shrink back slightly, his face tilted up as he seemed to watch his owner worriedly.

Lighting a cigarette, Tyki raised it to his lips, watching the Noah trapped within the exorcist’s body calmly. His gaze travelled over to the window and trailed up distantly to the grey sky, obscured by clouds. “But you hate the Innocence more, don’t you?” he queried.

“Of course I do… It’s a part of my nature to despise Innocence…”

Neah stared down at Timcanpy, his eyes scintillating with hints of silver. He reached up and tugged at his pristine white hair sharply. Breathing out a soft sigh, he allowed his muscles to loosen. 

Silence reigned between the two for a short while, one pair of amber eyes trained on the Noah seated upon the bed, the other staring distantly into the sky. 

Leaning back against the wall, Neah angled his head back and allowed his eyes to slide shut. “I’m sorry - that was uncalled for,” he apologized. 

“Think nothing of it,” Tyki murmured absently in response. 

The two fell into silence once again, the only sound being the dull thrumming of rain against the wall and the roof. Neah’s eyes slid open partially to stare at the roof, his fingers teasing Timcanpy’s wings almost idly. His lips parted slightly, drawing in air as though it were water, slipping down his throat and refreshing his body.

Vaguely, he wondered if Allen had regained the strength he had lost. How troublesome that would be, if he assumed control over his body once again. After all, he could not return to the Black Order for fear of severe ramifications, and he certainly could not remain with the Noah; not without causing conflict.

Or perhaps the boy had already begun to pass over into oblivion. That would be a harrowing development, and despite the fact that it would assure his existence, it would erase another that could have grown into something significant. 

His attitude was completely and utterly abnormal, he knew. He resented the evils of both parties, yet sympathized with the individuals of both parties. He had become friend of the enemy and enemy of the friend. Which side he stood with was clear, but his actions were more often than not questionable.

His gaze grew faraway despite being directed at the ceiling, and his hand drifted from the golden-hued golem to the wooden floor. His tongue darted out briefly to wet his dried lips, the skin protecting the sensitive flesh beginning to chap. He drew in a quiet breath.

“So the little infant fell into a deep sleep...among the grey ashes in the flames shining… first one… .then two… surfaces numerous of your faces…” The soft voice that escaped Neah’s throat was barely a whisper, but it had been enough for the taller of the two to hear and turn to stare at him.

“A thousand dreams… trickle back to the earth… on the night when the silver eyes were trembling… the shining you was born… across millions of years, the prayers have already returned back to the earth…” Neah’s eyes had slid shut once again, his lips barely moving as the almost inaudible melody elicited from them. 

“I….will still….continue to pray….please bestow upon this child your love….upon our….joined hands….leave a….gentle….kiss….” The final word was merely a breath; an exhalation before the Noah fell into a cold silence. 

A shiver crept down Tyki’s back as Neah grew silent, leaving the sound of rain battering against the abode alone with its toneless beat. He regarded the young body without a word, noting the lack of movement on Neah’s part.

Silently, he stood and stepped over to the younger one taking care to not cause unneeded disruption in the serene air. Upon the realization that Neah had fallen asleep, he carefully slipped his arms under under the body of the exorcist boy, lifting him off the ground.

Timcanpy moved off Neah’s lap and flew towards the second bed within the room, settling beside the pillow. 

Carefully, Tyki laid Neah  upon the bed, even taking into consideration his lack of suitable clothing for the dreary weather and pulling the blankets over his slumbering form.

As the Noah of pleasure gazed down at the figure of the 14th, images of a certain young exorcist flooded his mind. He recalled the time where he had nearly killed the boy; certainly the Noah of destruction could not be so easily killed.

Lowering his hand above Neah’s chest, he slid past his skin, flesh, and organs until his fingers contacted the pulsating heart. With an eerie gentleness, he placed pressure on the organ, but not sufficient enough to cause pain; merely discomfort.

Amber eyes trailed back to the pale face before he withdrew his hand from the body. How could such a being that had murdered all but two Noah harbour such controversial thoughts concerning himself and his brethren? Truly, the 14th was a mystery, even in the flesh.

Stepping away from Neah, he pulled the cigarette from between his teeth and crushed it against the table that separated the two beds within the room.

* * *

 

“Neah - Neah, what is this?” 

The somewhat panicked voice cut through the dark expanse. The source of the voice sat, bound by thick, black chains, upon a white chair akin to a throne. Silver eyes darted around as sinewy limbs tugged sharply at his restraints.

“Stop struggling; you’ll hurt yourself.” 

The grey orbs shifted to where the Noah stood, a gently admonishing smile on his features. Allen frowned and disregarded the advice, pulling at his restraints once again. “Neah, please, what’s happening?”

The Noah raised an umber hand and laid it upon the left of his own chest. “It’s good to see you awake, Allen. While you were asleep, I assumed control of your body.” The smile upon the Noah’s face was not unkind, yet he made no move to aid the white-haired boy with his predicament.

The frown present upon Allen’s pale features soon contorted into an expression of unadulterated shock at the rather unpleasant revelation. 

“What..?!”

Neah’s smile dimmed slightly. “With your condition, we couldn’t afford to let your body be comatose. But I doubt either of us can do anything about these for the moment…” His hand drifted down, dark fingers curling around the onyx-coloured chains.

“That’s...I can’t let you control my body. You’re a Noah.” 

Of course he would say that, but the damage had been done, and Neah had caused Allen’s treachery to be set in stone by that Order.A somewhat sheepish hint slipped into Neah’s smile and he rubbed the back of his neck lightly. “Ah, you see, even if you could return, you wouldn’t be welcomed at your Black Order with open arms exactly…”

“I know that. I went against their orders and betrayed them somehow because of that BaKanda and now they want to punish me because of it,” Allen interjected, a faintly exasperated expression slipping into his eyes. “But that doesn’t matter - I still can’t let you control my body.”

“You don’t have much of a choice, Allen,” Neah contradicted gently, tugging lightly at the chain. “I can’t release you from these because you’re the one who bound yourself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhh I'm sorry for the bad quality -.- I'll do better - I promise. Also, something about the Musician's Score gives me shivers, but in the good way ^.^ I love that song... Anyway, for now I'm going to sleep ;P It's 3 in the morning -.-


	5. Reunite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really shouldn't be up this late, especially since I have to wake up early ^~^ But I still feel obligated to finish the chapter and post, so here it is.  
> This might be even worse than the previous one -.-  
> Yay, things finally get somewhere though~  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

“I brought Kanda!”

One and a half pairs of eyes turned to stare at the sight of Lenalee pushing open the door to the Supervisor’s office. One slender arm held Kanda’s own arm over her shoulders, while the other was wrapped around his waist to sufficiently support his limp form. Had Kanda been conscious, he would have certainly disapproved of the position that he was currently resigned to. 

Lavi pushed himself to his feet from where he had sat on the couch within the office, and quickly strode over to Lenalee. Relieving her of her burden, he carried Kanda over to said article of furniture and laid him down upon it.

“What happened?” Komui questioned, staring down  at the raven’s unconscious form. Lenalee shook her head.

“I don’t know… I didn’t find him in his room, so I searched around for a while and I found him like this in the training room,” she explained quickly. “His breathing is normal and so is his pulse… I think he may have fainted.”

“Yuu? Faint?” Lavi expressed incredulously. The eyepatch-bearing apprentice Bookman found it difficult to believe that someone as obstinate as Kanda would suddenly lose consciousness for no reason. For Kanda to have syncopated was also not very probable, taking into consideration his quick-tempered attitude.

“Probably,” Lenalee responded, staring worriedly down upon the pale features of Kanda Yuu. 

A sigh passed Komui’s lips, a matching frown painting his lips as he eyed the long-haired exorcist. “It’s probably a little too early to be sending him on missions then,” he decided out loud. “We should have sent him to the infirmary, but he seemed perfectly fine when he returned.” 

“That’s our Yuu,” Lavi interjected with a mirthless chuckle. 

“Would you take him to the infirmary, Lavi?” Komui requested, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I’ll brief you on your mission when you return.” 

With a nod, the redhead leaned down to sling Kanda’s arm over his shoulders and support the raven’s body at the waist. Unhurriedly, he made his way over to the door, pushing it open with his side and stepping out into the cold hall.

A single green eye trailed over to the form beside him, a frown plastered on his face. How long he had been wearing such a grim expression, he wasn’t certain, but the feeling had become normal from where it had previously seemed alien.

The events of the past few days seemed like a fictitious nightmare; with Kanda’s apparent death and Allen’s desertion. It had been followed by Kanda’s return, but the long-haired exorcist seemed more distant than what had been deemed conventional for him, which was definitely saying quite a bit.

For Kanda to unexpectedly pass out should have been expected: after all, he had only just returned to the Headquarters from wherever Allen had sent him prior to his assumed death. Despite his inhuman regenerative ability, it was far too naive a hope for Kanda to be in perfect condition within such a short period of time.

His gaze drifted back to the hall ahead of him as he continued to roam the hall at a painstakingly slow pace. 

“....let go of me… usagi…” 

He nearly dropped Kanda in surprise at the husky voice that made itself audible as the raven-haired exorcist shifted in his grip.

“Ahh! Yuu-chan, we were so worried!” He exclaimed, a forced grin spreading over his face as he threw his arms comically around Kanda’s shoulders. Lavi could almost see the angered tick on Kanda’s forehead and promptly dodged the bare fist that directed itself to the place where his face had previously been.

“I told you to never call me that,” Kanda hissed, seemingly recovered from his earlier faint. The abrupt movement on the raven’s part caused his vision to sway slightly, straightway urging his hand to rest of the wall to steady himself.

“You fainted, Yuu,” Lavi continued, babbling. “And Lenalee carried you to the office. Komui was going to give us our mission, but he decided you’re probably not fit to go since you just got back and everything so now that you’re awake you should go to the infirmary - I’ll go ba--”

With the help of his free hand, Kanda muffled the incessant sound that persistently aggravated his ears. A characteristic frown played upon his features as he swiveled in the direction opposite to that in which they had been travelling previously.

“I’ll go,” he stated simply, his steps headed for the Supervisor’s office. 

“Wait!” Lavi protested, stumbling after the slightly shorter exorcist. “You can’t go on missions like this!”

“Are you saying I’ll be a burden?” Kanda stated, his tone icy as he glared over his shoulder at the redhead. Lavi shrank back with a placating grin. 

“No - of course not! We’re just worried about you, Yuu!”

“Shut up and die.”

“You’re so cold Yuu…”

Kanda disregarded the complaint of the rabbit. In his mind, they ought to be more worried about a certain white-haired beansprout that could not have willingly left the Order. Allen had promised that he would not allow himself to turn against the Order despite his Noah identity that had grown more evident as of late.

He recalled the moyashi’s words stating a request of death, were he ever to become a Noah, and the promise that he would not. Oh, Kanda did despise people that could not keep promises. 

“Che…” 

Pushing open the door to the Supervisor’s office, he stepped into the room. Immediately, the eyes of Komui and Lenalee drifted over to him. The girl stood and stared at him. “Kanda! You shouldn’t be walking around like tha--”

“I’ll be going,” he stated, almost glaring at Komui, but not quite. The elder of the two siblings shook his head fervently.

“I’m sorry, Kanda, but we can’t let you go anywhere just yet--”

“I’m going,” Kanda repeated monotonously. Behind him, Lavi shrugged helplessly.

Upon scrutinizing him silently for a few long moments, a sigh passed Komui’s lips as he nodded.

“All right. Innocence has been discovered nearby in Cornwall, but there has also been a spike in akuma incidents. As you may have guessed, your job is to retrieve the innocence and bring it back to Headquarters.”

“Che.” Standing abruptly, Kanda made his way toward the door. Lenalee and Lavi exchanged a look before following after him. 

“Ah, Lavi?” 

The redhead glanced back as his name was uttered from the Supervisor’s lips. Komui made a shooing motion with his hand, urging the rabbit toward the door. “Make sure Kanda doesn’t do anything reckless.”

“Right!” Lavi grinned weakly at him and exited the room, leaving Komui staring at the door. 

A shadow of consternated presentiment seemed to suspend itself over the long-haired exorcist as he led the other two through the halls and eventually out of the dark building. A clear distance was being maintained between him and the two, as neither of them desired to face the wrath of Kanda, especially not when the situation was seemingly balanced at the periphery of disaster.

Kanda himself had resolved to accept the mission primarily due to the fact that he never turned down a task, but also because he required an undertaking that entailed the absence of troubling thoughts in favour of directing focus upon something disparate.

The rain had grown considerably heavier, he realized, drenching his hair in mere seconds with ease. Clucking his tongue in mild annoyance, he reached up to brush his fringe from his vision, upon where it had been plastered to his pale skin by the droplets of water. It was in no way a pleasant sensation, but he had little reason to cavil; not when the situation could be much worse. 

He contemplated upon if the rain could wash away the bloodstained hands that he and his fellow exorcists possessed. Even if it could not, it was not as though he could hope for redemption initially. Mulling over his existence itself, he deemed his actions not worth absolution. 

No doubt Allen must have suffered the austere revelation with more difficulty than he himself, taking into consideration the beansprout’s self-proclaimed title of the Destroyer that Saves. In a world as depraved as the one they currently inhabited, the concept of a saviour was near ludicrous.

Without his awareness, his teeth had once again wreaked havoc upon the flesh in the inside of his cheek. When he did come to a realization of his actions, he abruptly terminated the movements of his jaw.

Once again, his thoughts had drifted over to a problematic place. To think of Allen at the current moment was the least of his desires, and the fact that his deliberation somehow ceaselessly led to the white-haired moyashi galled him more than he’d have liked to admit.

Without his perception, they had already left the stretch of forest while he had been preoccupied with his thoughts. Without the substandard canopy of foliage above them, drops of water acquired the freedom to assault the already saturated trio of exorcists relentlessly. A frown, glistering with rain, was present on Kanda’s face at the deplorable weather.

“Hey, Yuu! Yuu, I think you need to watch where you’re going.” 

Kanda’s head swiveled back to the redhead to fixate him with a piercing glare for the undesired usage of his first name before he caught sight of where he stood. Having deviated unawares from the other two, he had quite literally nearly walked off the island.

The wind whipped at his hair, blowing it to the side of his face as a particularly large wave crashed against the precipice that he had all but plummeted off. Salt water sprayed against his face, which could only be described as blank as he gazed downwards at the dark waters.

Grudgingly, he stepped away from the crag and nodded subtly in silent thanks to the rabbit, despite the disregard for his sensibilities unequivocally expressed in the usage of his first name. 

The sudden thought of his own name precipitated a pang of pain at his chest. Biting at his inner lip, his eyes narrowed at nothing in particular as his footsteps carried him through the small town and for the dock.

Feeling three eyes virtually boring into his back, he turned to stare at Lenalee and Lavi, meeting their gazes. Immediately, the dark-eyed stare of the girl averted itself slightly so as not to encounter his own. The rabbit, on the other hand, merely flashed him one of the most unconvincing grins he’d ever seen. The sight discomfited him somewhat, not that he cared to admit it. 

“Hey, Lenalee, how long will it take to get there?” Lavi inquired, his tone emanating the vague implication of the question being more rhetorical and serving the purpose of breaking the delicate silence between them, than him actually desiring to know the answer.

Lenalee’s dark purplish eyes lifted to the overcast sky with a thoughtful frown before she responded. “It’ll take a few hours at best,” she settled. “Unless the wind changes direction - then it’ll take longer.”

“Or if an akuma attacks the ship again,” Lavi added absently. Lenalee slapped his shoulder lightly with a patient sigh.

“Hopefully that won’t happen,” she deadpanned. 

For the duration of the somewhat stilted exchange between the two, Kanda remained in a stony silence, his dark eyes fixated in the distance, staring over the sea as he awaited the next ship to dock.

* * *

Opening the window with care, so as not to cause any unnecessary noise, Tyki allowed one of his many teezes to flutter into the room and settle on his hand. Proceeding to shut the window once more, he spared a glance at the younger Noah who remained asleep upon the bed adjacent to his.

Upon registering the information that had been delivered to him by the violet butterfly, he stored the golem back within his body and slipped his partially dried coat onto his body. And here he had well-nigh assumed that this task would run smoothly regardless of exorcists.

Despite the fact that the Earl had requested he take Neah with him, he strongly doubted he could allow the younger Noah to face that troublesome trio, of all the people. It would be a much safer option, were he to complete the mission while Neah slumbered.

Quietly, he slipped out of the room and made his way through the hall of the inn. Exiting the building, he soundlessly stepped through the stone-paved streets, in search of that loathed Innocence. 

At the corner of his mind, he doubted it was a wise choice to leave the Noah of destruction alone within that room, but he fought off the perturbing sensation. It was evidently much worse to allow Neah to see those people. Or for those people to see Neah.

Wandering almost aimlessly through the seaside county, Tyki redirected his focus to finding the Innocence before the meddlesome exorcists. From what he was aware of, they had landed only mere minutes ago, which granted him the advantage of energy.

The dreary scenery that surrounded him was beginning to dull his senses, he realized, unsure of just how many times he had rounded the township. He must have passed by the source of the Innocence at some point, albeit he was ignorant of it.

His form shimmered faintly in its transition to his Noah body. Following the action was a wave of animosity that washed over his being. Immediately, he whirled around, amber eyes scanning the rain-soaked scene. Regarding it intently, he allowed his instinct to lead him.

Pulling a standard teez out of his body,  he allowed it to flutter around the dismal scene, the only sound being that of the copious amounts of rain that washed over the county. Watching it, he spotted it settle upon an unassuming rock that sat upon the edge of the craggy edge of the county. 

Utilizing his ability of Choose, he reached into the solid form, his fingers clasping around the substance that he held with such enmity. Pulling it out, his fingers closed in upon it, prepared to crush it.

“Nigentou!” 

The cry reeled him violently from his thoughts and he barely managed to dodge the blades of searing energy as one lacerated his hand, freeing the raw Innocence from his grasp. Jumping back, he regained his composure and stared at the long-haired exorcist, who glared ruthlessly at him. A pleasant smile with an underlay of threat spanned his umber lips.

“Watch how you handle those things; you might hurt someone,” he stated easily, despite the fact that his hand now sported a gaping tear.

“Preferably you,” Kanda retaliated as Lenalee and Lavi joined him, Innocence activated. 

“Now, that isn’t very preferable, you see,” he countered simply, freeing his teezes from his body. The butterflies surrounded his dark figure, awaiting his command as his smile took on faint hints of a smirk. “You really ought to stay out of our way; it causes us too much trouble when you’re here.”

“We could say the same for you, Mr. Cheater number two,” Lavi blithely responded. Lenalee sighed.

“You’re terrible at nicknames, Lavi,” she stated calmly. The redhead visibly drooped at the comment.

“Two?” Tyki ventured, his tone faintly taunting. “Then there must be a number one, am I wrong? Allow me to guess…” 

“Che. I don’t think so,” Kanda interjected, leaping at him once again, twin blades whirring within his grip and slicing through the butterfly-like golems in the process.

Easily dodging the obvious attack, a chuckle passed Tyki’s lips as he retrieved the Innocence once again thanks to one of the teezes. “You won’t allow me to guess? I was about to say the name of someone I believe you know rather well,” he continued, the tone in his voice provocative.

“Ozuchi Kozuchi! Man!” 

Ducking the second weapon that was wielded against him, Tyki sighed. “This doesn’t seem fair,” he stated with a frown. “Three against one. It does remind me of a time where this situation was reversed in another game…” he trailed off and smirked as the two weapon-wielding exorcists seemed visibly riled by his words.

It was indeed a feat to anger exorcists while they were focused completely on the battle at hand. It was only when they lost their composure that they would begin to lose the fight as well. Tyki was aware of that fact, and knew perfectly well how to play his cards in this charade.

Keeping a hold on the Innocence, he began to strafe the three exorcists with his teezes, while maintaining a reasonable distance away from the long-haired one’s twin energy blades. Oh, he was ever so glad that Neah was not present. This scene would grow far less appealing that it already was, had that been the case.

The sight of the three struggling against his practical hoard of butterflies was almost comical, were it not for the grim reality of the situation. Tyki stared at the innocence within his hand. Perhaps he ought to crush the despicable substance. It would save him all this trouble.

Though that was the case, a small part of him desired to toy with the exorcists for a moments longer, wishing to observe as they struggled to acquire the Innocence only for him to crush it before their faces. The thought of the despair that would cross their faces lit a sadistic flame within his golden eyes.

That hammer was a troublesome thing, however. Unable to completely remove himself from its range, he found himself constantly having to dodge blows from the absurdly large weapon. A sigh of annoyance passed his lips. At least he could evade it with ease, due to its wielder having to fend off his little pets.

He blinked and abruptly flew sideways to elude the slender hands of the girl with the crystal-type Innocence on her legs. He had forgotten about the enhanced strength it granted her legs. Distancing himself from her, he smiled.

“It’s refreshing to see a lovely lady after having to deal with brutes,” he called out pleasantly. His statement was met with a frown as she launched herself at him in attempts to retrieve the Innocence shard that danced almost mockingly at the tips of his fingers.

Moving towards the hammer and just barely avoiding contact with it, he caused its trajectory to direct towards her, forcing her to dodge. After a few repeats of the tactic. He noted that the hammer had shrunken in size, probably due to the fact that the redhead did not want to involuntarily hurt his comrade.

That left him facing the girl, a faint smirk still dancing upon his features.

“Hakka Tourou!” 

The familiar cry caused him to freeze. In those brief moments of immobilization, he knew that he had made a dire mistake. Bracing himself for the agonizing impact, he clenched his hand into a loose fist to preserve the Innocence. 

A few short moments passed, but they felt like an eternity. He waited, but nothing seemed to occur. Even the dull thrumming of the rain seemed distant, as though he were listening to it from inside a house instead of experiencing it firsthand.

A pained grunt registered in his mind, but the voice did not belong to him. His muscles abruptly tensed as he whipped around swiftly, releasing the Innocence within his grasp in time to catch Neah and prevent him from falling to the saturated ground.

Time seemed to freeze for all four of them, three from the sight of the familiar yet foreign body within the Noah’s arms, one from the shock of what had just occurred. 

Crimson began to dye Neah’s umber-hued side as the flower shaped laceration began to ooze a profuse amount of blood. Lowering to the ground, Tyki sank to his knees, carefully supporting the shorter male’s body as he attempted to close the wound and staunch the blood that flowed from his side.

“You should have remained at the inn,” he admonished quietly, the hints of anxiety evident in his voice. “Why did you come here?”

Neah’s breaths elicited erratically from his throat due to the shock of the injury he had taken upon himself. His eyes opened to look up at the man whose face was so similar to his own from times past.

“I….couldn’t let….you….be hurt….” The younger Noah smiled up at him. “We’re….we’re family….aren’t we….? Don’t worry about me….I’ll be fine….”

Tyki frowned, pulling off the remains of Neah’s shirt and tying it around his waist as a makeshift bandage, completely ignoring the fact that they were both currently vulnerable to any attack courtesy of the three exorcists present. 

“I could have taken it,” he argued with no bite. “I didn’t want you here because of them.” He subtly motioned towards the trio. 

“....Moya….shi…?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really don't know what I think of this chapter...I don't even think my mind was working properly for at least half of it -.-  
> What do you think about it? Do comment and tell me~


	6. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay....I'm sorry about this chapter -.- It really isn't good at all.  
> A lot of character interaction and we finally get to see some more Allen because you can't have Yullen without Allen ^.^  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura

Amber eyes fluttered over to the trinity of exorcists, drifting over them for a few short moments before resting upon the one that had uttered the contemptible alias. Neah’s expression remained unreadable as he stared, almost transfixed by the shocked stare of the second exorcist.

The plethora of bewildered emotions that surged over his body caused a wince to leave his figure. Sitting up carefully, he rubbed at his head. His previously white shirt was now near thoroughly dyed with blood, leaving him feeling somewhat light headed and lethargic.

“It would be best for us to leave,” Tyki murmured under his breath, watching the white-haired boy push himself to his feet.

Neah ignored him, his gaze still fixed upon Kanda, who seemed frozen in his state of unexpected disquiet. Testing his footing, he staggered over to the older male. Neither of the three moved, merely following him with their gazes as if they didn’t dare make any movement.

Standing a rough foot away from Kanda, he regarded the taller male with a blank gaze. In turn, the raven stared back with a matching indecipherable expression painted upon his immaculate features.

It was not often that Allen’s gaze lacked antipathy when it met Kanda’s, but that was the case this time, much to the astonishment of both Lenalee and Lavi. Then again, that golden gaze and dark skin was not characteristic to Allen; it was only unmistakably not Allen that stood before them.

“You…” the somewhat raspy word left Kanda’s lips as his eyes narrowed subtly.

“Me,” Neah agreed, his tone neither hostile, nor pleasant. The slight tilt of his head caused his white hair to cascade over his shoulder as he fixated Kanda within his gaze. Reaching up, he gently took the exorcist’s head in both hands, holding him there as a faint frown of puzzlement crossed his ashy lips.

Whatever voices screamed furiously at Kanda to pull away and attempt to do harm to the Noah that had the audacity to touch him, but he found that he could not move, practically spellbound by the horrific evidence of Allen’s nonexistence staring him quite literally in the eyes.

Neah tilted Kanda’s head slightly in his hands, his gaze not leaving the long-haired male’s eyes. After a few moments of silence, he lowered his hands with a mild sigh.

“I’m grateful that you’ve returned,” he finally stated peaceably. “I think that I can trace a few of my problems to you, though,” he added as an honest afterthought. His hand lifted itself once again to run umber knuckles over Kanda’s jaw, his amber eyes glued onto dark orbs.

“Come to terms with yourself before you lose another,” he advised enigmatically. His hand dropped back to his side and he shifted away from the exorcists. “They say that you’ve been constantly running after something, but it’s always been there, right? And now it’s slipping out of your grasp.”

Turning, he slowly made his way back to Tyki, a slow exhale leaving his lips. “You had many chances before, but now you have only one left. Decide what you must do and follow through with it.”

As he stepped somewhat unsteadily over to the taller Noah, Timcanpy alighted on his shoulder and opened his mouth to reveal the shard of Innocence upon his tongue. Delicately taking the substance between his thumb and index finger, he stared at it, a wave of disgust flowing over his body. Without a second thought, he crushed it within his palm, a sharp light radiating from his clenched fist.

Not bothering to see the expressions of distress masking two faces and the narrow-eyed gaze of the last, he summoned the gate of the Black Ark. Motioning for Tyki to enter first, he paused for a brief moment.

“Hurry, Kanda. Time is running out,” he urged before stepping through the gate and disappearing before they had the chance to capture him. In his state, there was next to no doubt that he could not fend off all three of them at once.

Breathing out a faint groan, he allowed his legs to buckle beneath him as he pressurized his side, which had yet to stop bleeding. Kanda had been aiming to kill - that was indubitable. In this body, Neah had no hope of withstanding the attack, had it been truly directed at him.

“You shouldn’t have troubled yourself to follow me,” Tyki admonished once again, slinging his right arm over his shoulders and carefully wrapping an arm around his waist. Neah winced and smiled.

“You shouldn’t have left without me,” he responded simply.

“I had my reasons,” the taller of the two responded succinctly. “I’m certain you’re aware of what they were.”

“Unfortunately,” the white-haired Noah responded wryly. “I may have spoken too much back there.”

“You do realize that I haven’t decided to trust you yet, no?”

“I know.” The two fell into an abrupt silence, not meeting each other’s gazes.

Neah had not paid much attention to where they were headed, merely allowing Tyki to lead him wherever. It was not as though he was in any position to retaliate. His eyes were glazed over in thought as he pondered upon what the long-haired exorcist had taken from his words.

He was, however, completely certain that he would once again face Kanda, although under what circumstances, he had yet to discover.

“Allen!” The  distressed cry pulled him forcibly from his thoughts, and he found his neck dragged down by the weight of the sudden arms that were thrown about his neck. His eyes  met those of Road who stared at him, visibly upset.

“What happened, Allen? You’re hurt! Go to your room - I’ll go get bandages…” she prattled before running off. Glancing up at Tyki, he found the taller male’s elegant features adorned with vague amusement.

He was then led towards his room and laid down upon his bed. Tyki moved over to the wall of the dark room, opting to sit on a chair that furnished the sparsely decorated room. Turning to observe him, Neah found the older Noah to be attempting the same.

“It’s perplexing,” the taller male suddenly spoke. “The little that we know of you does not add up to your persona.”

“A person has three faces, Tyki,” Neah responded patently. “The first is for the public eye to behold, and often not representative of the true personality. The second is for family and friends, and shines with a more true light. The third is the one that only one person will ever completely unveil.” To that, Tyki had no response.

Neah’s head turned once again, his eyes staring up at the dim ceiling. It took him a few minutes to regulate the many thoughts that whirred through his mind into an understandable order. His own words tended to confuse him more often than not, primarily due to the fact that he did not fully understand himself. What of himself he was conscious of tended to bear negative connotation.  

The door to his room was abruptly thrown open, causing his gaze to fly over to the short figure standing just outside of it. Road’s hands gripped a bowl of water, a cloth, and bandages. She immediately stepped over to him and set her materials down beside him on the bed.

Untying his shirt from his body, he flung it distastefully towards Tyki, who caught it and allowed it to drop to the floor. She frowned at the sight of the coagulating blood that took the appearance of an eight-petaled flower upon his torso.

Dipping the cloth into the water, she began to clean the wound, causing a faint hiss to elicit from Neah’s umber lips. Her frown deepened. “How did this happen? Who did this?” Her gaze darkened. “I’ll find the person that did this…”

“There really is no need to do that,” Neah quickly interjected, a strained smile directed her way. “It’s my fault this happened.”

“Actually, I believe it was mine,” Tyki called from where he spectated the scene.

“It’s mine,” Neah insisted, glancing over in his general direction. “But I don’t regret it.” The taller man frowned, but did not respond to his words.

Road watched the exchange curiously as she proceeded to lay aside the bloodied cloth and begin to bandage Neah’s abdomen. Almost playfully, she tugged sharply at the bandages, causing a sharp gasp to leave Neah’s lips as he winced. She giggled slightly.

“That’s what you get for going and hurting yourself, Allen,” she informed before securing the bandages with a knot.

Sitting upright, he watched her ruefully. “So I get more pain because of my pain?” he ventured. She nodded.

“Basically.”

“Lovely.” He raised his gaze imploringly to the ceiling. “I’ll try my best to not get injured again, then.”

“Good,” she responded, pushing herself up onto the edge of the bed.

“We did succeed in destroying the innocence,” Tyki stated. Road cocked her head slightly, spiky hair poking at her shoulder.

“But obviously you ran into some trouble,” she countered.

“In the form of Allen’s friends,” Neah clarified. The older girl grew glassy-eyed in thought a frown present on her lips.

“You mean they’re the ones that hurt you?”

“Well….not….exactly….?” Neah offered. She frowned.

“He protected me,” Tyki finally admitted with a sigh. “That was meant for me.”

Golden eyes drifted from one to the other. She sighed and tipped over so that her head rested on Neah’s lap. Her arms encircled his waist and she sighed. “Boys will be boys - stop getting yourselves hurt, seriously,” she sighed.

“My apologies,” the Noah of pleasure responded with a noncommittal shrug.

Neah ruffled her hair fondly and smiled somewhat distantly. “I’ll try,” he promised. A short silence progressed after he had spoken as Road watched him intently for a few moments.

“How...is he?”she finally questioned tentatively. He blinked and stared down at her, tilting his head slightly. Her eyes remained trained expectantly on him.

“What do you me--”

“You know what I mean.”

Neah raked dark fingers through his hair a slight frown present upon his lips. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “He’s there, but I don’t know for how long…”

“And just what is it that you intend to do?” Tyki ventured, his arms crossed over his chest. “The way you speak of him makes it seem as though you care, and yet you take control of his body.” The skepticism was vaguely present in his tone.

“I have my own work to finish,” Neah responded simply. “And now is as good as a time as ever since he’s in no position to regain control of his body.”  

“Is he hurt?” Road inquired worriedly, pushing against his legs with the palms of her hands to lever herself up slightly. Her voice was audibly dismayed.

“He’s fine,” Neah assured calmly. “He’s trying to regain his control, but I don’t know if he’ll be able to do it in time…”

“What do you mean?” she interjected with a prominent frown. “He won’t disappear just like that. He can’t!”

“Of course he won’t,” Neah concurred. “I don’t intend for that to happen.”

“Then pray tell what you do intend,” Tyki interpolated. Neah smiled apologetically at him.

“Sorry, but that’s for me to know,” he responded with a slight shrug. “It’s just….there’s something I must do.”

“Such as?”

“I’m sure you’re in a position to stop me if I do anything reckless, so I’ll let you find out on your own.”

“I’d still choose Allen over you!” Road inserted needlessly. Amber eyes drifted over to her, a smile present within them.

“Don’t worry,” he assured, but refused to elaborate as to what he wished to convey in that simple pair of words.

The room fell into a languorous silence once again as words were either left unsaid or escaped the minds of the three that occupied it.

Road’s arms had somehow managed to wrap around Neah’s waist while Tyki watched the two with a faint hint of calculation in his gaze. This did not go unheeded by the fourteenth Noah, but was not mentioned either.

The silence lasted much longer than previously as neither of the three spoke a word. The atmosphere was unbearably heavy to Neah, but his fellow Noah did not seem to be bothered by the fact. Perhaps it was just him; he would not be surprised. After all, his mentality was unique for a Noah, and not necessarily in a good way either.

“Neah! Oh, Neah, I heard you were injured! Are you all right, Neah?” The sound of a familiar voice which caused the white-haired Noah to tense filled the room long before the Millennium Earl ran into the room, clownish garb discarded leaving his human form stark for all to see.

A smile curled onto Neah’s lips as the smallest hint of madness crept into his amber eyes. Gently, he pried Road off himself as a new pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders. His eyes met those of the Earl and he laughed.

“I’m fine, Mana,” he responded, stressing the name with an almost sinister subtlety. “Don’t worry over me; I’ll heal.” The unkempt appearance of the Earl repulsed him somewhat. This...this  _man_ had destroyed Mana’s beautiful visage to replace it with this hideousness. He couldn’t even recall his own identity.

“I think you should worry more for yourself,” he added, with a manic grin, his urge to do harm to someone rising rapidly. However, being well disciplined, he hid his bloodlust well enough for it to only be hinted in his gaze.

“Thank goodness you’re all right - I don’t know what I’d do if you left again…”

Pathetic. The man seemed to be forgetting that he was the one that had ended Neah’s life. Neah chuckled, a microscopic hint of bitterness in the sound.

“I love you, Mana - I’d never leave you,” he responded. He couldn’t abandon this because Mana was still there. Within this grotesque shell was the last remains of his beloved twin.

His arms reached up to wrap around the Earl’s shoulder blades, disguising his movement well enough so that neither Road nor Tyki would catch sight of the fact that his fingernails were digging savagely into the man’s flesh. Considering the man’s reaction, it didn’t seem as though he had noticed either.

“I’m glad you’ve returned,” the Millennium Earl muttered softly. “I’m so glad…”

“I’m glad too,” Neah responded. Whether anyone caught the insinuation of threat laced within his words, he didn’t know. What he did know was that if he had to tolerate this for much longer, it would drive him mad. He loathed this man; more so than Noah and Innocence combined.

“Millennie, get off Allen!” Road groused with a pout, her own slender arms snaking carefully around Neah’s waist. Finding himself sandwiched between the Earl and the Noah of dreams, Neah cast a glance at Tyki, his gaze pleading silently for aid in his predicament.

As their eyes met, he realized that it was hopeless to request help from the taller Noah, or so the amused smirk upon his dark features stated. Neah bit his inner lip and glanced up at the Millennium Earl, who did not seem intent on releasing him.

“I need to hold my dear Neah,” the Earl argued, staring down at Road. “I love you too, Road, but Neah needs me.” Neah could have gagged, but he hid his disgust well.

Road pouted and tightened her grip slightly, causing him to wince. “I love him more!” she argued.

With a sigh, he gently pushed the two of them away from his being, digging his nails into the Earl’s arm. “Yes, but I need my rest, and I doubt I can get any with you two clinging to me,” he countered. Road pouted and sat a small distance away from him.

He smiled once again at the Earl. “Would you leave me for a bit? I promise I’ll spend some time with you later.”

“You will?” Neah was revolted by the childishness of the grown man, but nevertheless maintained his pleasant smile.

“I will,” he repeated.

With that, he managed to rid himself of that Earl that incensed him to no end. As the door was shut, a long sigh drew itself from his lips. Wiping off his body with faint disgust, he rubbed his hands on his sheets as if trying to rid himself of the contamination that had befallen him courtesy of the Earl’s touch.

“You don’t seem to like Duke Millennium very much,” Tyki stated.

Neah stared at him, his eyes uncharacteristically deadpan. “I hadn’t noticed,” he responded sarcastically before smiling faintly. “Sorry - it’s like how you feel about me. You can’t really trust the person that killed you.”

“That, I can understand,” Tyki responded with a shrug. “Although his abnormal attachment to you is rather unsettling.”

Neah winced. “Agreed.”

“Did you lie to him?” Road suddenly butted in staring up at Neah. The Noah of destruction chuckled sheepishly.

“Maybe about ninety-eight percent?” he offered “I did lie when I said that I needed rest.”

Road’s arms encircled Neah’s waist once again. “Great; that means I don’t have to leave!”

“Why are you still so attached to him even though he isn’t Allen?” Tyki broke in, seeming genuinely curious. Road poked her tongue out at him and prodded Neah’s arm.

“Allen’s still in here somewhere and I at least want him to hear me,” she replied in a matter-of-fact manner, as though the answer should have been obvious.

Neah smiled. “Maybe he can hear you. Maybe that will make him realize things that he didn’t know before.”

* * *

Allen groaned tiredly and pulled at the chains once again. Why was it that he could not escape? This place only existed within his mind after all. He should have authority over it. Yet, he could not budge even a single link, much less activate his innocence.

Neah’s enigmatic words drifted into his mind once again. He had bound himself? What was that supposed to imply? He had no intention of relinquishing his power of the manipulation of his body to the Noah, and yet, somehow, it had occurred.

The pale skin of his arm was beginning to redden under the pressure that was being exerted upon it. His breath left his lips in light pants as he tugged stubbornly once again. A faint hiss of pain passed his lips as the movement only served to worsen the welts on his being.

He couldn’t allow a Noah to control his body; who knew what destruction would unravel in due time. Neah was the Noah of destruction, even if his actions towards Allen himself were infused with nothing but apparent kindness.

The chains seemed to tighten around his being the more he struggled, and now, he would go as far as to state that they were beginning to constrict him. He gritted his teeth. If he ever escaped this predicament, he doubted that BaKanda would ever let him hear the end of it.

His frown had begun to allude to a smile at the thought. When he freed himself from these strangulating chains, he would eat. Then he would fool around with Lavi and Lenalee and earn himself Kanda’s annoyance. He’d argue with the long-haired exorcist for a while before stomping off somewhere in a fit of anger to cool himself off.

The thought sent an ache through his chest. There was a small chance that he’d fail to make it out of this place, and were that to happen, he would disappear. He’d disappear and no one would be aware of it.

Resuming his struggling with a newfound passion, he frowned. He wouldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t afford to. He needed to return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aiyaa what have I done -.- this is the cringiest thing ever *sigh* Ah well. I'm sorry if it seems rushed; it probably is -.-


	7. Cease

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay - another chapter... I think I did a little better this time - hopefully I did. Thank you so much to yoo for the encouragement; it really helped ^.^  
> So Team Noah 1 and Team Exorcists 1/2 for injuring Neah but failing anyway. Now they just have to go back and report and stuff.  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

As the two Noah left the scene, the three exorcists were left in the frigid rain that teemed down relentlessly. Even subsequently to the departure of the two, neither of the three budged from their seemingly paralyzed state. The dour ambience that overhung the plateau was multiplied by the three figures that stood in grim silence, eyes staring at the thin air within which the pair of Noah had disappeared. 

The first movements were courtesy of Lavi, who had opted to test the delicate air as he hung his weapon of choice upon a holster on his hip. His eyes were uncharacteristically void of liveliness as he glanced over at his two companions, a defective smile plastered unconvincingly upon his lips.

“I guess we can return to the Headquarters now…?” he ventured, his words succeeded by a strikingly harsh laugh.

Lenalee was next to  regain her composure despite the despair that shone in her dark purple eyes with a lacklustre glow. Her voice was tight and somewhat choked as she attempted to respond without bursting into tears once again. 

“We…we should…” she forced from her lips as she turned to look at Kanda.

The long-haired male still remained unresponsive and detached as his eyes fixated inscrutably upon the location where he had last seen Allen. His tense muscles were crying out with exertion as he obstinately refused to slacken his stance.

His mind was left reeling by Allen - no - the 14th, and his ambiguous words. Why had his body refused to budge despite the fact that his reasoning had directed him to do so? He had even allowed that godforsaken creature to touch him. 

The thought provoked his initial movement which was the slight curl of distaste that moved his lip. His subsequent movement was the tightening of his grip around Mugen’s hilt and scabbard which had scored Allen’s flesh, albeit unwittingly.

What he couldn’t fathom, however, was why the pained countenance of the white-haired beansprout had caused an ache of guilt to pulsate within his chest. To begin with, it hadn’t even been Allen - it was that Noah that had taken possession of his body. Likewise, Allen was not a person that Kanda considered a friend: merely a mutual associate. 

“Kanda…?” Lenalee called softly, not daring to speak any louder as though it would shatter the delicate balance that perpetuated the stiff atmosphere. 

Without so much as a word, the second exorcist executed a volte-face and began to stalk silently from the tableland, not sparing them a single glance. His gaze was fixated blankly upon whatever sight was before him. 

His two acquaintances exchanged a look with each other before following in close suit, but not daring to speak to him, as his morale had taken a visible plunge. The frown upon his lips was laden with more than its distinctive condescension, and that alone was enough for them to be aware that now was not an appropriate time to speak to Kanda.

Even the effervescent Lavi did not have the heart to disturb the long-haired exorcist, not when he himself could not fight the prominent despondency that had settled profoundly in his chest. 

He himself had admittedly been shocked by the sight of Allen in such a state, despite the fact that he was aware that it was the likeliest possible outcome, considering the white-haired boy’s previous resolution to join the Noah. Nevertheless, it still came across as a blow to witness it firsthand.

His green eye drifted over to Lenalee, who seemed to be concentrating intensely on regulating her breaths. He frowned, his lips parted vaguely to reveal his gritted teeth, and turned his gaze back to Kanda’s back.

The second exorcist himself was faring no better, or so the angered bewilderment in his eyes spoke. He had not even taken the opportunity to uncover Allen’s…. That Noah’s motives. Whatever they were, they must be dyed in the corruption peculiar to the Noah. 

“Che…” The sound was so soft, it was barely audible to he himself. If this was the result of Allen’s conviction, he would have to kill the white-haired beansprout just as Allen had once requested of the exorcists. A flash of anger flared up within his chest.

Allen had broken his promise after all. His words that alluded to the reassurance that he would not allow the Noah to take over his body had been empty lies. Kanda resented the fact that he had lowered his guard enough to consent himself the latitude in believing the moyashi’s words.

He was loath to admit that they had lost a considerable edge in the war on akuma and the Millennium Earl due to the sudden swap of alliances on the white-haired teen’s part. The taste of blood grew evident upon Kanda’s tongue. He was certain that he was vexed with Allen, and yet, he could not shake the weight that burdened his chest.

* * *

“Those faces don’t look terribly cheerful,” Komui stated the obvious, taking a sip of coffee from his pink bunny-emblazoned mug. His finger lifted to point accusingly in Kanda’s direction. “Especially you!” he charged, the rim of his glasses glinting. “You look more grumpy than usual!”

Lavi hurriedly poked Kanda’s cheek with a forced grin, ducking as Mugen drew an arc where his neck had previously been situated. “He’s just brooding because we failed the mission,” he claimed loudly.

“Che..” Kanda’s neck turned an abrupt forty-five degrees to the right, a scowl present on his features.

Komui pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a frown, his countenance adopting a more serious nature. 

“You do realize the gravity of this outcome, don’t you? I’m a little surprised, seeing as you’re some of our strongest exorcists.” he responded, setting down his mug with a faint frown of contemplation upon his lips. 

Lenalee stole a fleeting glance at Kanda, who seemed on the verge of bursting before the Supervisor. She smiled weakly at Komui and quickly moved to herd the second exorcist from the office before he could say anything. Upon pushing him out the door, she shut it once again, locking it to prevent him from entering the room.

Moving back to where Lavi stood, she bit her lip. “It probably isn’t best to talk while he’s here,” she finally spoke, her voice carrying a barely audible tremor.

Upon the sight of his sister in such a state, Komui reached out and laid his hands upon her shoulders, staring down at her worriedly, but not in his typical overprotective state. “Lenalee, what happened?” he questioned seriously. 

She swallowed, and opened her mouth to speak, but before she had the opportunity to utter a word, tears blurred her vision and spilled down her cheeks. Throwing her arms around Komui, she buried her face in his shoulder, soaking the fabric of his coat.

“It was Allen,” Lavi responded lugubriously for her. “No - it was the 14th. He destroyed the Innocence before we could retrieve it.”

Looking up from Lenalee to the apprentice Bookman, he frowned. “Are you sure it was him?”

“Of course I am…!” Lavi responded, slightly miffed at the fact that his information was being questioned. 

Lenalee’s muffled sobs only seemed to grow louder and Komui sighed. “I’ll talk to you later,” he directed at Lavi before motioning for him to leave.

Nodding, Lavi quickly exited the room, only to find Kanda leaning against the wall beside the door, arms crossed over his chest and fringe shadowing his eyes, the scowl still imprinted prominently on his lips. “Yuu?”

An irritated fist caused an indent upon the door, grazing Lavi’s ear as he barely managed to sidle away from the assault. “Die, usagi.”

“So cold…” Lavi wilted. 

“Che.” Crossing his arms over his chest once again, Kanda turned his head away from the redhead and began to storm down the hall. 

This time around, Lavi opted to chase after the long-haired exorcist, hovering over him with a feeble grin that didn’t quite reach his visible emerald eye. “Don’t leave me Yuu-chan!” he griped comically. 

A tick of anger pulsed at the raven’s forehead and his hand drifted down to the hilt of his sword, fingers just about encircling it. “If you’re going to insist on following me, then shut up,” he snapped brusquely. 

Lavi’s hands immediately flew up with the purpose of mollifying the second exorcist. A sigh puffed from his lips as he eyed the hall that they stepped through. “Hey, Yuu, we passed your room already. Where are we going?”

“None of your business,” Kanda shot, his eyes scanning the hall. Upon landing on the tall figure of the blond man, he clucked his tongue and stepped towards him.

Without so much as a nod in greeting, he pushed open the door to Allen’s room, paying no heed to Link’s protests. Lavi followed after him, a sheepish apology leaving his lips, but a frown present within his vaguely narrowed gaze.

Dark eyes drifted around the room before landing upon the arrangement of lotus buds. One of the blossoms was beginning to open, he realized. Stepping over to the side table upon which they crowned, he picked up the floral presentation by their glass vase, and turned to leave the room.

Stepping past Link, he pushed aside the man’s hands as they attempted to prevent him from taking his leave. Flashing a sharp glare at the blond, he proceeded to make his way back down the hall, his fingers wrapped carefully around the vase of flower. 

Much to his chagrin, a certain rabbit just needed to follow him on his escapade from the abandoned room whose previous occupant no longer resided with them. 

“Hey, Yuu, why did you take Allen’s flowers?” Lavi chirped, a hint of calculation in his expression despite his somewhat vapid tone. Kanda, however, possessed the perception to catch the moderate intelligence hidden behind the exterior of denseness.

Removing one set of appendages from around the glass vase, he abruptly stabbed his fist towards the rabbit who narrowly managed to evade the blow that aimed to dent his skull. “I don’t need to answer to you,” he responded coldly. “If you’re going to berate me with stupid questions, then leave.”

“So mean,” Lavi griped, drooping once again. 

Blatantly ignoring the guise of idiocy demonstrated flawlessly by the apprentice Bookman, Kanda redirected his steps towards his own room. His eyes drifted down to the floral arrangement within his hands. He was beginning to doubt the inconsequentiality of the blooms which may have seemed easily overlooked.

A slender digit, not marred by scar of callus ran over the petal of the lone bloom upon the edge of the arrangement that had subtly begun to open. His gaze ran over the others,  swiftly numbering seven buds. Lowering his hand, his gaze drifted over to Lavi, who still persisted with following him.

“Are you planning to replace the moyashi with me?” he almost stated, his eyes fixing themselves upon the redhead expressionlessly. The statement seemed to surprise the rabbit, which Kanda grudgingly admitted to himself he didn’t expect. 

“No!” Lavi denied fervently, shaking his head. “It’s just…” He drifted off and didn’t resume his statement, leaving a stony silence between them. 

“Che.” Kanda reached out to push open the door that led to his room and stepped in. Striding over to his own side table, he set the flowers down upon it beside his own. His eyes narrowed slightly upon catching sight of the shriveled petal that still clung to the rest of the bloom.

“Wow, Yuu, you must really like lotuses.” Lavi disrupted the solitude with the blunt statement. Kanda turned to glare at him.

“Go die,” he snapped. 

As opposed to his previous exhibitions of presenting the epitome of being crestfallen, Lavi stepped into the room and walked over to the table, scrutinizing the flowers with his ever-present ruminative gaze. 

Not desiring to dirty his hands with needless blood, Kanda gave silent consent for him to do so, but stood behind him with his arms crossed impatiently over his chest  in hopes that the redhead would take something from his stance and leave him to himself.

“Yuu, what do you think the 14th meant? He had an awful lot to say to you, don’t you think?”

Within the span of less than a second, Mugen’s tip was buried in the tatami-covered floor of his room. A few hairs of bright red-orange fell to the ground alongside it, causing Lavi to near topple gracelessly onto the floor. Catching hold of the table, he pushed himself up, one hand resting over his chest. “I thought I was going to die!” he gasped comically.

“For how many times today?” Kanda ventured darkly, pulling Mugen out and brandishing it precariously close to the lone uncovered green eye of the apprentice Bookman. “I told you I never wanted to hear you say my first name or ask stupid questions.”

“But it wasn’t a stupid question, Yuu!” Lavi complained disregarding the previous statement . 

A dark shadow cast itself as Mugen drew closer to the tissue that formed Lavi’s eye. “Mind your tongue or lose it, usagi.”

“But this is my eye!” Lavi riposted lifting a finger to push Mugen away from his face. 

Immediately, Kanda twisted the hilt and abruptly slashed the sword sideways, shearing off a few more red hairs off as the apprentice Bookman ducked. 

“Get out of my room, usagi - you’re contaminating it,” Kanda stated, a scowl on his face as his arm remained straightened out to the side, Mugen directed towards the open door. Lavi squeaked and scrambled over to the direction indicated to him by a dangerous pointy object that could potentially hurt him.

“So mean!” he whined. 

“Che. Get out,” Kanda snapped, stepping over and shutting the door in the redhead’s face. 

As soon as the action had been completed, he sheathed Mugen and set it down upon his bed. Sliding down onto his knees, he rid the floor of the red hairs and dropped them out the window with another cluck of his tongue. 

Standing, he stared down at the eight blossoms that rested upon his side table. He frowned and pulled the bouquet out of its cylindrical vessel and tugged the scarlet ribbon off of it. Returning the flowers to their place, he stretched the ribbon out over the length of the table to dry. 

His eyes narrowed slightly as he mused temperamentally upon what had occurred that day. He was uncertain what to make of the 14th, if he were to be completely honest with himself. Of course, the man was an enemy through and through. He was a Noah, and that alone gave Kanda enough reason to end his existence.

However, the thought wouldn’t cease to trouble him: why had the man not taken the opportunity to attack him, considering the fact that he had, unfortunately, been paralyzed in his state of shock. He had left himself wide open, and had faced the humiliation of being left unscathed by the enemy. 

That in itself was enough to cause his jaw to tense in mortification. For a person such as he, who lived by his sword and for two purposes only, to be left without so much as the memory of an attempted strike from his enemy was one of the worst forms of patronization. 

His frown deepened. As if that were not enough, he had been presented with a cordial greeting, which would have chagrined him less, was the Noah in the beansprout’s body not affected by the wound inflicted on him, courtesy of Kanda himself. The 14th had the effrontery to say that he was glad that Kanda had returned.

Even then, the Noah had traced his own problems to Kanda? The thought was maddening to Kanda’s mind. It was that 14th and the other Noah that were causing problems for the world itself, and the man could only say that Kanda himself was the cause of his problems?

Planting himself into a seated position upon his bed, Kanda took his displeasure out upon the eight blooms that rested upon his side table, boring virtual holes into the pink petals with the edge in his dark gaze. 

He had to come to terms with himself? Had he not already done so? After all, if he had not, then he would never have left Alma. His teeth chewed against the suffering flesh of his inner cheek at the thought. Of course, he still contemplated upon whether he should have remained with his first friend, but that was only normal… wasn’t it?

He gritted his teeth, clenching down forcibly on the flesh and re-acquainting himself with the harsh tang of blood. Aside from the 14th’s words, the mere sight of his presence within Allen was enough to drive Kanda into a seething rage. Whether it was directed towards the Noah, towards Allen or towards both of them,  he wasn’t certain.

Perhaps both, he decided. After all, Allen had broken a promise and that Noah had taken over his body. If this persisted, they would meet once again, he knew, and when that meeting occurred, he would kill both of them. His tongue clucked in grudging resignation.

He was well aware of what he had stated when they had only begun to acquaint themselves of each other. He truly did despise the self-imposed heroic words of  the white-haired boy. That attitude would be the death of him, and that was precisely why he had warned the beansprout of that fact, despite his words carrying threat beneath them. Allen’s type would die young.

Nevertheless, the thought of having to kill the moyashi with his own hands did not rest well with Kanda. The sparks of guilt had already begun to light flames in his chest, causing his clenched jaw to tighten further as his gaze dropped abruptly from the lotus blooms to the ground.

A hiss of aggravation passed his slightly parted lips. That 14th Noah had stated that he was running after something. He didn’t recall running after anything - he wasn’t a person who would blindly chase after anything in particular, Alma not included.

His stance froze as his eyes widened. Alma… His thoughts drifted back to the Noah’s words. It had always been there? His frown deepened. What was that supposed to mean? Nothing he had chased after had always been there.

The only thing that he had sought incessantly had indeed slipped out of his grasp, but the Noah had spoken as though it still remained. Just what was it? The fact that he hadn’t the knowledge that he required on the subject of the Noah’s words antagonized him. 

He had been left with an exhortation that commanded he hastened before time ran out. If that had been a threat, it definitely did not come across as one upon first registry. Kanda wouldn’t die - not yet. He still needed to fulfill his promise to Allen, as well as find that person…

His thoughts skidded to an abrupt spot. That….person…? He had seen her before, and lastly with Alma. Was she gone as well? He frowned. The only person that knew her was he and Alma, so how did the 14th come to know of her? Nevertheless, his words implied that she was still there, albeit not for long.

Kanda massaged his forehead with his hand. The ceaseless revelations were wearing his mind out, and the certain ire that rose up with each thought of Allen and the 14th did not aid in any way. 

His eyes lifted slightly to stare out the window. Rain continued to pelt the Headquarters and the ground, but still could not wash away the sin that defiled the building and the soil in the form of bloodstained hands. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet.

His dark gaze trailed over to the bouquet of lotus buds that stood within their vessel, landing upon the one opening bloom. His eyes narrowed. For a flower that had been stripped from its roots and starved of sunlight, it was blossoming at a terribly quick pace.

His fingers encircled Mugen, picking it up purposefully, and holding it for a few moments before setting it where it typically hung at his hips. As much as he was loath to admit it to himself, he ought to take up the matter with the Supervisor. After all, the man was a genius in the guise of a fool, much like the rabbit.

After a moment’s hesitation, he grasped the scarlet ribbon that lay drying upon his bedside table, and stored it within the confines of his coat. Turning to face the door, he made his way to it and pushed it open quietly, so as to cause as little disturbance as possible.He shut the door behind him, casting a dark gaze down the hall.

Behind the closed doors, a lone flower unfurled in full bloom, manifesting its pale pink glory. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lavi is no longer concerned about his own well-being...but then again, was he ever? I don't know... But this is it for now.


	8. Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quality drop once again -.- ah well. We see how some more of the Noah family reacts to Neah and how he reacts to them. There's a lot of reacting woah.  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

Neah awoke to discover Road snuggled close to his chest, her features relaxed in the realm of slumber. He hadn’t the heart to shift and disturb her, as her countenance seemed so tranquil. Amber eyes drifted over to the corner of the room only to find that the older Noah had taken his leave.

He was unsure of when exactly he had fallen asleep, only remembering his ordeal with the Millennium Earl and then his conversation with the two Noah prior to his slumber. Raising his hand, he ran his appendages through his hair, tugging lightly at a few snarls that had accumulated within them while he had rested.

The motions provoked a slight stirring from Road, causing Neah to still once again. He observed her dusky features in silence, hoping that he had not disrupted her. As she merely shifted, closing the already minuscule gap between them, he relaxed.

His gaze drifted over to the window, taking in the sight that met his eyes. The sky had ceased to weep, leaving the heavens shrouded by an overcast of light grey clouds. His eyes narrowed at the muted brightness that had flooded his sparsely lit chamber.

“A…llen…?”

Golden eyes drifted down to meet the gaze of the girl who proceeded to rub her eyes so as to relieve them of their sleep-induced haze. A smile spanned his lips as he slowly pushed himself up into a seated position, noting the dull throb that pulsated from the wound on his side.

“Hey, Road,” he greeted casually. “Did you have a nice sleep?”

She let out a yawn and stretched with a slight groan before staring up at him once again, blinking the last remnants of sleep from her golden gaze. “Well enough, I guess,” she responded, another yawn playing on her lips.

Her gaze trailed languidly from his eyes down to his bandaged torso. Raising a finger, she poked his side lightly. “Feeling any better?” A nod was his response. She lowered her hand and smiled. “Good.”

His eyes remained trained upon her young figure as she slid off the bed and padded over to the window, resting her arms on the sill and staring out of it. Her form seemed dwarfed further by the window that Neah had never truly regarded as large until sighting her standing behind it.

“Hey, Allen?”

“Yes?”

She did not spare him a glance, even as she continued to speak, her golden gaze fixated upon the silver clouds up in the distance. “You seemed so heartless back then compared to now. But you lost something back then, didn’t you?” she ventured, her voice indistinctly muted.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s hard to put… It’s like whatever you want to do now isn’t for a selfish reason like last time,” she offered in meek attempts to try and explain what it was she wanted to convey.

Neah’s head tilted at the back of her short stature. His reasons for his actions? Whether they were selfish or not, he himself wasn’t certain. Why Road would incite such a subject, he didn’t know either. A slight frown curled onto his lips. “Why bring this up so suddenly?”

“Dreams, I suppose…” Road murmured, her golden gaze not turning away from the clouds that blanketed the sky with their dim light. “Troubling dreams,” she added as an afterthought. One slender arm propped itself up on the sill to create a cushion for her cheek.

“Oh?”

Golden orbs drifted to the periphery of her vision as she stole a glance at the fourteenth Noah. “Destruction follows you wherever you go, but that’s normal since you’re the Noah of destruction.” Trailing back to the sky, she sighed slightly. “I think that when you died, you triggered the beginning of the end. Now that you’re here again, it’s like you’ll bring the end to a close.”

“That’s….a little presumptuous,” Neah admitted tentatively, his hand lowering to rest upon his side. His eyes remained trained on Road’s back. She didn’t seem to notice, and even if she did, she disregarded the obvious stare.

The head of serrated dark blue hair turned and his gaze was met with the amber one of the older Noah. “You’re like a supernova,” she stated simply. “You’re most prominent when you cause destruction.” He held her gaze in silence.

Her words perplexed him. He could not grasp the context within her words, and they puzzled him to no end. He could assure himself that she was attempting to convey something of significance. His eyes must have betrayed his bewilderment as she proceeded to smile as per normal.

“You look like a fool,” she chirped, stepping back to the bed and reaching out to poke his cheek.

A rueful smile spanned his features.“You’re playing me for a fool,” he responded.

“Not really - I’m just being vague because I don’t want to tell you anything,” she responded simply. “You’re already dull enough as is and I don’t want you to have to think about more things.”

“I’m glad you have so much faith in my mental capability,” Neah replied wryly.

Settling herself on the edge of the bed, Road allowed her legs to swing slightly as she flashed him a playful grin. “Don’t you know it,” she responded in a somewhat sing-song tone.

Neah chuckled softly. The way the girl’s mind worked was rather curious, he would admit. He couldn’t truthfully say that he understood her completely, but that only made living with her more engaging. After having been unserviceable for the many years since his death, he had forgotten how much he adored each individual of his non blood-related family.

Yes, he did admit that much, but he still despised those memories that had become the bane of their existences whether they were aware of it or no. Nevertheless, there was not much he could undertake to solve the ancient complication.

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples lightly before inching over to the bed’s edge. “We should probably head over before we miss breakfast,” he declared mildly, setting his feet down on the floor. Road’s head tilted slightly.

“Should you really be walking around in that state?” she questioned, the swings of her legs slowing to an eventual halt. His eyes drifted down to his patched up abdomen, and a sheepish smile stole over his dusky features.

“Probably not,” he concurred with her sentiment. Stepping over to the closet within his room, he tugged it open and pulled out a fresh shirt, slipping it onto his being and buttoning it up so that the bandages were hidden from view. Glancing back at Road, he chuckled. “I think this is more presentable.”

Shifting, he turned towards the birch door and made his way to it. With a pout tracing her lips vaguely, she slipped off the bed and padded over to him, wrapping her arms around his own limb, hanging off it childishly.

“A~llen, you’re going to hurt yourself more if you walk around like that,” she protested. He reached over with his free arm to ruffle her spiky locks.

“I’ll be fine, Road - it’ll heal quickly since it wasn’t aimed at me to begin with.” She jabbed his side with her finger, noting the faint wince that the action induced from the white-haired Noah.

“Well next time it might be,” she stated in a matter-of-factly tone. “And if you don’t want that girly-man to die, then you probably shouldn’t let him hurt you again or I’ll kill him.”

Neah paused, his footsteps slowing to a halt as his amber gaze drifted down to her puerile pouting face. “....how did you know it was him?” As far as he could recall, he had not mentioned the long-haired exorcist to anyone save Tyki, who had been present when the deed had been executed.

“I have sources,” she dismissed quickly before releasing his arm and running down the hall. “Now hurry up or we’ll miss breakfast!”

If he had first recalled, he had been the one to alert her of the fact, but he found it safe to assume that she was seeking for a means of diverting the course of their conversation. Humouring her, he refused to press the matter as she did not desire to share anything more than what she previously had.

As she pulled aside the curtains, he held them open for her, a fond smile upon his features. His eyes drifted around the scene of the dining hall, only to find that the Millennium Earl was not present. He relaxed. That would make the wearisome ordeal of repast more bearable.

Opting to sit down beside Road who remained in her standard seat beside Tyki, he began to moderately fill his plate, appetite leaving him for what reason he knew not. However, being in Allen’s body, he realized that he needed to eat in order to maintain the health within his body, thanks to that cursed innocence that resided within the white-haired boy’s body.

Vaguely, he wondered if Allen would feel the brunt of lack of nutrition due to his average appetite compared to his black hole that the exorcist possessed for a stomach. Even with that conjecture in mind, Neah could not bring himself to eat more than what had been provided for him.

“Are you feeling any better?” Tyki questioned, pausing from his own meal to spare a glance at the white-haired Noah.

Neah smiled reassuringly at him.“Much better,” he promised.

The taller of the two merely nodded and breathed out a sigh. “That’s good. Duke Millennium blamed himself for the injury and cried himself to sleep. I believe he is still asleep.”

Somewhere in his mind, Neah could not help but feel a slight indication of contempt for the Earl. At the very least, he found himself relishing in the man’s misery. A cruel thought, he knew, but the man deserved it in his mind. If it pained him, then Neah would allow it.

His grudge against the Millennium Earl still remained strong, and he refused to release the tight grip that he retained on his bitterness. The very thought made his fingers twitch with choler against the Earl. Oh, he would love nothing more than to strangle the man or subjugate him to a painful death in some way.

“Hey, hey, 14th!”

Neah praised Allen’s instinctual rapid reflexes that enabled him to dodge the nettled fork that buried itself in the wooden frame of his chair. Amber eyes traced it to its source: the dark hand of the tenth disciple of Noah. A faintly irritated expression was plastered onto Devit’s features as he pointed an accusing finger at the plate held within Neah’s hands.

“If you keep doing that, you’re going to break the plate - don’t expect us to pay for another one!”

The long-haired blond beside him crossed his arms over his chest with closed eyes, and nodded in piqued concurrence. “It’s bad enough to still be stuck with Cross’s debts, and he’s not even alive any more,” he fussed, exasperated.

A placating smile made its way over Neah’s features as he released the dining utensil. “My bad,” he apologized. Despite regarding himself a rather well-disciplined person, he still could not repress the innate rage that coursed through his veins at the mere thought of the Millennium Earl.

A snort was the response of the more belligerent of the two as Devit’s arms crossed over his dark chest as well, but did not respond to the mildly spoken apology of the white-haired Noah.

Neah’s eyes drifted to his side as he felt the familiar small arms wrap around his arm once again, only to find Road glaring childishly at the twins.

“Don’t be mean to him - he didn’t mean it!” she defended, squeezing his arm lightly.

“Ah, Road--” Neah was prepared to say that there was no need to speak in his defence, due to the fact that causing a conflict over a nearly bisected plate was a juvenile move. However, before the words could leave his lips, Devit interrupted sharply.

“Of course - just like he didn’t mean to murder the family thirty-five years ago!”

The room froze at the words, and Neah’s smile grew strained. Abandoning the expression altogether, he sighed and glanced down at Road, who was staring, shocked and incensed, at the dark-haired of the two twins.

“It’d be the peak of insolence if he called that a mistake,” Jasdero agreed, one eye opening to fixate itself on Neah.

Feeling a discomfort crawl along his spine, Neah forcibly attempted a smile once again, his eyes vaguely narrowed unintentionally at the two twins. “I wouldn’t dismiss that as a mistake,” he spoke, breaking the silence that had been created by the two Noah of bonds.

“Then what?” Devit challenged, raising an eyebrow. “Something you did before and would do again?”

If anything, Neah could feel the literal temperature drop to match with the icy tone of the dark-haired twin. It was the least of his desires to cause a dispute among the Noah.

Urging his taut muscles to relax, he closed his eyes and let out a quiet breath. He then proceeded to lightly tug the fork out of his chair and polish it with the sleeve of his short before setting it on the table. Calmly, he stood from where he had been seated and pushed the chair to the table before glancing up at the twins.

“I did do it before,” he concurred mildly, his voice even. Without speaking further, he strode purposefully out of the hall. His eyes noted the feline ones of the black panther that laid in the corner of the room observing him, but he hid the fact that he had noticed the scrutinizing gaze.

Leaving the hall, he opened the hall to his piano room and stepped in, disappearing from the reach of the other Noah.

Road stared at the retreating back of the white-haired Noah before groaning softly, the noise dripping with vexation. Her eyes narrowed and she glared at the two twins. “Look what you did now!”

“Tch.” Devit’s hostile gaze turned abruptly to his left while Jasdero frowned and shrugged, both eyes opening to fix themselves upon the Noah of dreams.

“We were just telling him how we felt,” the blond responded coolly.

Road sighed, her knees pulled up against her chest and her chin resting upon their summit. “He’s really not bad…” she mumbled unconvincingly with a frown.

“We can’t be certain of that just yet,” Tyki contradicted calmly, dabbing at his lips with the napkin and setting it back down upon the table. “Even if it was Allen, he would still be the enemy, Road.” The girl sighed, but didn’t respond.

In the corner, the predatory feline stood silently and stalked out of the hall without a word.

* * *

Neah sat silently at the bench of the inversely coloured piano within the pristine room, a frown adorning his features as he stared wordlessly at the instrument that sat before him. The expression had not been provoked because of the words of the twins.

Neah had been prepared to face such blatant opposition, and the suspicion birthed from his reappearance was only to be expected, but he could not help but feel some form of displeasure directed at himself. Due to the fact that he lacked the diplomacy to maintain the order that would precede his presence.

It was only a well known fact that the sins he had committed against his fellow Noah did not merit forgiveness - the mere knowledge that Road, Tyki and Wisely were at least moderately willing to accept him was something that had surprised him more than he liked to admit.

However, the invitation to conflict was one that he could not bear. He could tolerate the coldness that was unsubtly directed his way, but he did not wish to be the cause for unnecessary quarrels. A soft sigh passed his lips as he pressed down upon one ebony key of the piano.

He hoped that the absence of his presence would work favourably for the remaining Noah in the room. If it had sated the irritability of the Noah of bonds, he would be more than glad to leave them to their own until they grey used to his existence among them.

Noiselessly, he pondered upon what Lulu Bell had been observing him for. Of course, there was the typical suspicion and resentment that could allude to her gaze, but he hadn’t felt either of those or anything similar. If he were to stretch the hints that were given off by the shapeshifting Noah of lust, he could say that she was curious.

What there was about himself to be curious about, he didn’t know, but there was an apparent abundance of perplexity concerning his persona. Whether her silently questioning gaze implied that or not, he wouldn’t find out just yet. After all, she was a woman that valued her solitude from what he had seen thus far.

Unconsciously, his fingers had begun to dance over the inversely ebony and ivory keys of the instrument that resided within the impeccable room of pure white. His eyes trailed over the familiar piano as he reacquainted himself with it consciously.

The keys bent wonderfully to the will of his fingers, evoking a faint smile onto his lips as he allowed himself the liberty to manipulate the instrument to his desire. His eyes lidded themselves partially as the melody of his song drifted gently into his ears.

His shoulders grew less tense, and the rest of his body followed their example as he finally settled into a locale of peace, allowing his fingers to lead the meditation of his mind. A soft breath elicited from his lips followed by a barely audible chuckle.

With all that had occurred in the span of the last thirty-five years to the events of the morning, he had forgotten what a pleasure it was to merely sit still for once and play his piano. It was calming and helped de-stress him far more than any conversation would.

Out of the periphery of his mind, he wondered why he had not visited this place more often upon his awakening. After all, it was not as though he was being bound back by the Earl or the other Noah. Deciding that he would return more frequently than he was. It would do him good to relieve himself of the troubles that vexed his mind without end.

His fingers slowed to a halt upon the keys as he felt a pair of eyes settle upon himself. Not looking up from the piano, he sighed faintly. Standing, he stepped away from the instrument before striding over to one of the many windows that adorned the walls of his piano room.

Setting a hand on the glass, he stared at the faint reflection that stared lifelessly back at him. It could have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that the reflection had grown fainter despite the fact that he was standing directly before the window.

“Allen…” he murmured softly, his fingers curling into his palm upon the cold glass. He sighed. The white-haired boy did not seem to be having luck with his quandary. Neah wished he could give aid to the exorcist, but was well aware that he could not even if he wished to.

It was up to Allen to solve this problem; Neah was certain that the teen would make it somehow. If only he would not act purely on impulse and pause to think. It was beyond his power to advise the silver-eyed boy, much to his dismay.

The grey stare that met his eyes as he stared at the window seemed to shimmer faintly. Neah blinked slightly before scrutinizing the reflection more closely. The eyes had returned back to their dull grey. After a moment’s hesitation, he shrugged slightly to himself and turned away from the window.

Summoning the gate to return back to the other Noah, he case a last glance at the window. The reflection upon it had lifted a hand and placed it flat upon the glass as its eyes stared intently at him. Slightly unsettled, he stepped through the gate, leaving the piano room.

He could have sworn he heard someone call his name. Perhaps it was merely his imagination. Nodding, he settled on that explanation. After all, his mind was unusually active as of late. Glancing around just in case, he relaxed upon seeing that no one was present in the hall.

Making his way to his room, he kept his steps quick paced so as not to run into anyone after the confrontation at the breakfast table. It was doubtless that minds would rest uneasy after having heard such an encounter between him and the twins.

Opening the door to his room, he swiftly stepped in shutting it behind himself and leaning against the door with a sigh. Lifting his gaze, he tensed as he spotted an unfamiliar one-eyed golem sitting upon the sill of his window, Timcanpy’s teeth buried in one of its black wings, akin to that of a bat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh....bad move - that seems to be an Order-issued golem courtesy of our favourite girly-man. Now the Order knows where he is...! Or do they?


	9. Weakness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for your continued support thus far~ you're all wonderful ^.^  
> Kanda wants to talk with Komui only to receive something that he really doesn't (or does?) deserve.  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

Upon his arrival at the office of the Branch Head, Kanda knocked thrice, sharply, upon the doors before pushing them open. Striding in, he caught sight of the Supervisor speaking with the usagi about something or the other. Frowning, he leaned against the wall beside the door, watching the two.

“Oh, Kanda - I was just about to send for you!” Komui declared, his lenses glinting. 

Kanda sighed. That couldn’t possibly allude to anything remotely pleasant. To think he had merely come to hold a conversation concerning the current matters at hand. Hopefully he could make an escape before anything troublesome occurred, courtesy of the Chief Officer. 

His eyes scanned the room. There was always the door, but the window was a closer option. He nodded slightly to himself. The window would be an ample escape hatch of sorts, in case Komui decided to resign him to some godforsaken task.

“Che.” 

Striding over to where the two stood, he blatantly left a liberal distance between himself and the redhead who did not seem to register the hint, and sidled over to him, throwing an arm around his neck with a hoaxed cheeriness. 

“Yuu-chan came to see me!” he chirped. 

‘Yuu-chan’ abruptly threw a punch to his cheek, his fist meeting its intended point of collision, much to his satisfaction, knocking the rabbit to the ground. “Next time I’ll rip off your ears by those stupid earrings of yours,” he snapped, glaring down at the taller exorcist.

“Yuu - so cruel!” Lavi comically wailed, holding his rapidly reddening cheek. Kanda brought a boot-covered foot pointedly down on Lavi’s leg, lifting his gaze up from the redhead as he ground his foot downwards.

“Che.” Ignoring the pained protests of the Bookman Junior, he turned back to Komui, who made no move to stop his actions against the redhead. “So? What did you call me for?” he questioned tersely. 

“Well, Bookman Jr. here told me some interesting things about your interaction with the 14th,” he began, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose and lifting a clipboard from his unruly desk. “And I was just about to call you to talk about that--”

At least it wasn’t the overseeing of another Komurin, Kanda decided, relaxing slightly, and even going as far as to lift his foot from Lavi’s leg, allowing the apprentice Bookman to scramble gracelessly to his feet and rub his aching limb.

Sitting himself down at the end of the couch that sat within the office, Kanda crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. “Well, I’m here for that reason,” he admitted, staring at the Supervisor carefully.

“Wonderful!” Komui exclaimed, causing Kanda to wonder if he was truly safe from the often distorted whims of the Branch Head. “Now if you’ll leave us alone, Lavi,” he continued, making a shooing motion at the rabbit. 

Without much more complaint, perhaps to prevent stirring Kanda’s wrath against himself further, Lavi scuttled out of the office, still nursing his cheek. 

After the door was shut. Komui moved to sit behind his paperwork-laden desk, clasping his hands together in front of his face and watching Kanda in silence for a few moments. A sigh passed his lips and he grabbed the clipboard that he had mentioned prior, flipping through it.

“Apparently the 14th, in Allen’s body, seemed to have full control of him, right?”

Kanda tensed at the aloofness with which the query was brought up. He resisted the urge to snap at the man and instead opted to spare him a brusque nod. 

“And according to Lavi, he protected Tyki from you?” 

Kanda nodded once again in response, a scowl imprinted onto his face as he bluntly refused to speak for apprehension that he would end up saying anything out of turn and earning himself an octopus head despite the fact that that seemed to be reserved solely for anyone who approached Lenalee without his approval.

“So it’s clear that he has no more ties with the Black Order?”

Kanda paused, unresponsive. His immediate answer would allude to an affirmative response to the speculation of the Chief Officer, but his teeth had clamped down on his tongue before he had the chance to utter a response to the man. 

“Kanda?”

The eyes of the long-haired exorcist narrowed slightly. However, both Noah had left them without a scratch despite the fact that they could have done harm, did they wish to do so. Subconsciously, his hand reached up to his cheek as he recalled Allen’s hand touching it under the control of the 14th.

All that he had done was merely reach out for him as though he wanted to inspect him or, at the very least, touch him in some way. Even then, the touch did not reek of hostility in any way; it almost seemed curious. His frown deepened. 

That contemplative gaze did not suit the beansprout, but then again, neither did the umber complexion and amber eyes characteristic of the enemy. It was not Allen, he reminded himself: it was the 14th - the enemy, and nothing less.

“Kanda?”

His gaze shot up to the Branch Head who was watching him with a hint of interest in his eyes. His frown deepened into something reminiscent of a scowl.

“Che…”

“Is there something you need to say?” Komui questioned, lowering the clipboard and watching him intently. Kanda shook his head abruptly and lowered his arms back to his sides from where they had been crossed over his chest. 

“No. He is the enemy,” he confirmed, his voice in an expressionless monotone. 

“All right…” Komui quickly scrawled something down onto the papers attached to the clipboard before flipping the pages once again. “And he recognized you but didn’t acknowledge Lavi or Lenalee?”

“It seemed that way,” Kanda stated ungraciously, a moderately harsh sigh eliciting from his lips. 

A frown crawled onto the lips of the Supervisor as he scanned the contents of the papers upon the clipboard. “He had a lot to say to you, correct?”

“Yes.” The second exorcist stared intently at Komui, reading each movement that was executed by his body in attempts to decipher just what he could be thinking. 

“Such as?”

“That’s my business,” Kanda responded sharply, his eyes narrowing slightly. “And I would rather have it remain my business.” 

Komui hummed in acknowledgement, setting down his clipboard once again and glancing up at the temperamental exorcist that sat upon the couch. “Well, is there anything you’re willing to share?” he asked, attempting a different approach.

“Let me find him,” Kanda stated stiffly.

Komui’s glasses slipped down the bridge of his nose as his eyebrows raised themselves in surprise at the raven’s request. “Pardon?”

“Che…” Kanda frowned. “You heard me. Let me go find him.” 

The Chief Officer cleared his throat awkwardly, sitting up straighter in his chair and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose from where they had slipped down. “I don’t think that will be possible, since we don’t even know which area he currently is--”

“Let me go find him,” Kanda repeated, no hint of hesitation or tentativeness in his voice. His eyes narrowed, piercing Komui with their sharpness. “I will find him and get rid of him.”

“Kanda, that’s a little excessive,” he responded, his tone mild. “You managed to strike him one time, but there is no guarantee that you will be able to defeat him. We can’t afford to lose you since you’re one of our strongest exorcists. We already almost lost you once…”

“I don’t intend to die,” Kanda retorted with a frown. 

“You can’t ensure that,” Komui responded. “We can’t let you charge into enemy grounds on your own, especially since we don’t know much about the 14th apart from his ability to control the ark.”

Kanda scowled. As much as he hated to admit it, Komui was right. Clucking his tongue in displeasure, he allowed his stance to grow less hostile in appearance. He wanted to find that Noah and beat some answers out of him for the trouble he was causing, but if he was not familiar with the terrain, it would be child’s play for them to ambush him.

“Fine,” he concurred, albeit grudgingly. “But when we do find them, he’s mine,” he conditioned. 

“All right,” Komui agreed.

Kanda pushed himself to his feet with a nod. “Is there anything else you wanted me for?” he questioned after a moment’s hesitation, more out of courtesy than anything else. He eyed the Supervisor, who seemed to be mulling over something.

“Kanda, did you sense Allen anywhere when the 14th spoke to you?” he questioned. 

The second exorcist frowned. What sort of question was that? His mind drifted back to the incident as he attempted to recall what he had felt when he had been confronted by the Noah in the beansprout’s body. After a few moments of thought, he shook his head.

“No,” he conceded. “I didn’t.”

A resigned sigh passed Komui’s lips. There was a long pause as silence extended between the two, one debating on whether to speak, the other waiting for him to respond. The Branch Head’s jaw tightened and he lifted his gaze to meet that of the raven-haired exorcist.

“I’d hate telling this to anyone,” he began, evidently prevaricating. “But taking things into consideration, I’ll leave you an order.” Kanda frowned, his gaze urging Komui to cease with the procrastination and get to the real matter. “It was his request, and I think you’re capable of fulfilling it.”

Kanda froze, his eyes narrowing. Surely Komui couldn’t possibly mean--

“If the situation comes where he is facing us on the battleground, I want you to kill him.”

The teeth of the long-haired exorcist clamped down savagely on the flesh of his inner cheek at the words. His stance was strained and stiff, and not a single word escaped his tightly pursed lips as he merely nodded before striding over to the door of the office.

Opening the door almost robotically, he stalked out of the office before shutting it behind himself. Leaning against it, he stared blankly at the wall across from himself. The thought should not have perturbed him to this extent. He should have expected it. And yet, it had still fallen upon him heavily, despite the fact that he really had no attachment to anyone in this godforsaken Order.

Pushing himself off the door, he made his way down the hall, ignoring any and all that passed him by, his focus entrapped solely within his thoughts. His hand had unconsciously tightened around Mugen’s hilt, only serving to empower the dark aura that seemed to hang over him.

Treading instinctively back to his room, he opened the door and entered it. His eyes drifted over to the blooms that sat upon his table. Staring dully at them, he leaned against the door, refusing to traverse further into his own domain.

Gritting his teeth, he reached up to massage his temples. This entire circumstance was nothing short of a pain. He allowed his eyes to slide shut as Alma’s figure drifted into his mind. His posture relaxed somewhat at the brunet’s smiling face. At least, even now, he could find solace somewhere.

Absently, he wondered what his friend would say, had he seen Kanda entangled within the situation that he was now. Perhaps Alma was indeed watching him, and laughing at his inability to see an apparent obvious answer. He would not put it past the brunet, were he to be completely honest.

Or perhaps he was angry that Kanda had not followed him, instead opting to choose another path over being with him. At this moment, the long-haired exorcist didn’t know what he valued more than his late friend and lover. 

His eyes narrowed slightly as bitterness swallowed his heart painfully. He persisted in being detached from the others that inhabited the Black Order, and yet the depraved world still continued to strip him of everything he had even remote regard to.

His jaw tightened. He had admitted it. He had attachments to this gilt prison and it’s occupants. Even the annoying rabbit.  His chest seemed to have occupied itself in twisting into an inextricable knot. It was useless to deny for much longer: his attachment, regardless of how vague or distorted, extended to even the moyashi.

The thought itself was enough to cause a flame of acrimony to run through his veins. His fingers pulsated with the urge to cause destruction to something, provoking him to entrap Mugen’s hilt in an impossibly tight grip. His knuckles had painted themselves white due to the ruthlessness of his execution which he refused to terminate.

His teeth sank into the flesh of his cheek in a habit that he had grown all too familiar with as his dark eyes seemed to grow darker as they narrowed, fixating the ground with an intensity only Kanda himself could possibly accomplish.

He despised the bonds that tied him to his fellow exorcists. It was that sort of thing that inexplicably weakened him. He resented any form of weakness, and yet, he could not deny that even he possessed them. He was weak. 

The hand that was not wrapped in a death grip around Mugen had clenched into a taut fist, his nails digging unrelentingly into his palm, causing a steady stream of blood to flow from his appendage and spill to the floor in crimson droplets.

That stupid beansprout… If he had not allowed that Noah to take over his body, this situation would have been evitable. Kanda’s eyes squeezed shut. 

He himself was the one that had first offered to be the downfall of the 14th Noah, but he had not paused to consider what that would mean for the host of the Noah of destruction, or Allen himself. If he eliminated the 14th, he would be killing Allen as well.

Nevertheless, he had still accepted the burden that had been placed upon his shoulders by the Chief Officer. The distinct flavour of blood was not even vaguely registered in his mind as his thoughts whirled around in his head, inadvertently eliciting a guttural groan of pain from his lips. No one else could do it, he realized, the moyashi having grown on them.

He was beginning to doubt his own capability of completing the task that he had laid upon his own head. Stepping stiffly over to his bedside, he stared down at the eight flowers that sat upon the table. He was supposed to hate the white-haired beansprout. He needed to hate him.

And yet, he could not. Fraught fingers tangled themselves in his hair as his eyes widened at the all too unmistakable task that he found thrown into his desperately opened hands: it would be the third time he was forced to take the life of a person he cared about. 

His breaths drew themselves from his throat erratically. He had returned with the purpose of returning good for good, and not evil for good. Was this how cursed his own existence was? More so than Allen, he was not a threat to the enemy, but the very people whom he had considered and had considered him comrades.

A few long strands of bluish-black hair drifted to the ground unnoticed by the raven that had previously possessed them as his hands tightened around his tresses, involuntarily tugging a few from his pale scalp. His gaze was fixed wildly upon the tatami-covered floor of his room.

His muscles cried out as his tense stance enabled them to be stretched out for longer than what was deemed natural. His breaths grew from erratic to choked as he suddenly found it difficult to inhale due to the knot that his throat seemed to tie itself into.

His gaze lowered to Mugen, and immediately, his hands removed the sword from his hip and dropped it upon the bed as though it had burnt him upon the contact that he had experienced in the last few moments. His sword…Mugen was an anti-akuma weapon; it wasn’t meant to tear down the ones he loved.

He stared blankly at the katana, not making any move either towards it or away from it as he drew in a sharp breath that nearly caused him to choke from the dryness of the inhalation. His hair, had come undone from the executions of his hands, and hung limply about his shoulders in vicious snarls.

He had considered himself a person of admirable self-control, but even he could not stop the angered expression from tearing across his features more candidly than they had ever. However, the consternation was directed not towards his fellow exorcists or even the Noah, but towards himself.

He couldn’t allow himself to commit the abominable crime of taking the life of a loved one not once or twice, but thrice. Notwithstanding, he could not refuse the task that had been assigned him by the Branch Head himself. Kanda found himself torn between himself and his loyalties yet again.

Inwardly, he cursed his selfishness and the despicable Order. He desired something unattainable, and the the Black Order would sacrifice anything and anyone to reach their goals. In his mind, his own desire was the lesser of the two evils.

Closing his eyes, he forcefully brought his body under submission to his will, his countenance relaxing considerably. His reappearance had resulted in the unusual fragility of his mental state, much to his chagrin. To allow himself to remain composed as was normal would merit more effort than normal.

The consequences of a task such as this should have been something he had developed immunity to, but to his consternation, that didn’t appear to be the case. His weakness had always been there, despite how painfully hard he had tried to bury it.

Emotions were troublesome things, and if they did not exist, he had no doubt in his mind that menial things such as this would not cause him such distress, if he were to place a word upon it. However, he deduced that it would also leave him under the complete control of the Vatican and cursed people such as Lvellie.

To have a will and a mentality of his own was doubtless difficult, but he would strongly prefer that to being one of that evil man’s mindless puppets. Kanda opened his eyes and ran a tired hand through his long, dark tresses, tugging violently at the snarls until they untangled.

Drawing in a few long breaths, he allowed his mind to temporarily clear and his body to loosen. He unclenched his hands and stared down at the floor, his gaze thoughtlessly blank. He needed to rid himself of his trouble and calm himself down before facing his problems head on. Were he to confront the situation with a stressed mind, he would never overcome it in any way.

The situation was indeed a grim one, and he had but one available choice, or so the circumstance spelled out. The current path he took stated that he would have to kill Allen or be killed by the 14th within Allen’s body. Either option would result in death, and perhaps even victory on the part of the opposing sides, but the aftereffects could be disastrous.

Kanda opened his eyes and stared at the pink blossoms seated upon his side table, observing his own single bloom before shifting over to Allen’s seven. The second flower had already begun to open, which surprised him somewhat, considering its speed.

His stance remained relaxed under the will of his mind despite the fact that his mind had once again begun to work itself to weariness once again. He had never truly realized the quantity of his thoughts that were occupied by his fellow exorcists, namely that troublesome moyashi.

Wryly, he wrapped his fingers around Mugen and set it upon the side table beside the eight blossoms. He had always been weak, he realized, much to his vexation. He had never been strong enough to willingly sever his ties with his acquaintances. 

“Yuu! Yuu, Yuu - Komui found out something!” The obnoxious voice cut through the air long before the door was flung open unwarranted by the redheaded rabbit. 

Kanda’s grip instinctively tightened around Mugen once again as his jaw clenched in exasperation. “Get out of my room, usagi,” he snapped.

“But Yuu! Komui found the location of the Noah!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear....I don't know if my brain was working properly again....poor Kanda...poor Allen...poor Lenalee...poor Lavi's cheek and leg and ears....


	10. Arise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to my wonderful readers who fuel my writing engine ^.^  
> Here's chapter 10 uploaded earlier yay.  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura

Neah’s lips curled into a frown as he strolled over to the windowsill, eyeing the golem that was struggling against Timcanpy’s teeth that were fastened securely into its wing. He stared at it quietly for a moment before carefully taking its free wing between his thumb and index finger.

“You can let go of it, Tim,” he reassured, smiling at the golem whose teeth remained firmly lodged within the bat-like wing. After a few moments of remaining stationary, the creature reluctantly unhinged his jaw and released the black, one-eyed golem.

Trapping the man-made creature within his gloved and ungloved hands, Neah stared down at it, a faint air of curiosity wafting through his amber gaze. “I thought that your golems couldn’t travel through the ark,” he murmured, poking the lone eye of the creature quizzically. “How on earth did you make it?”

Timcanpy fluttered around his partially sealed hands, seemingly intent upon doing harm to the alien creature that had appeared uninvited in his owner’s domain. The sight amused Neah, and he reached up with an ungloved hand to poke the golden golem’s cheek. “It’s all right,” he assured, a slight chuckle leaving his throat. “It can’t do much harm.”

Turning back down to the golem, he smiled pleasantly, although the expression didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I’m sorry, Order. I can’t let you have Allen back. I need him for now, and believe it or not, he needs me too. Please tell Kanda to hurry for me, will you? There really isn’t much time left at all--”

He drifted off, pausing as a frown of thought crossed his features. Glancing over at Timcanpy, he smiled as the golem flew over to him and settled upon his shoulder, nuzzling his neck lightly. His gaze meandered back to the device. 

“Sorry for all this inconvenience - I’ll try and end it as soon as I can. As for Allen, don’t hold any of this against him. It isn’t his fault. I have a lot to say, including I still despise all you exorcists and your Innocence, but I can’t let you gather more information on where I am right now, so I’ll have to end there.”

Compressing his hands, he allowed the struggling device within his grip to still, before setting it back upon the windowsill, disabled. Promptly, Timcanpy flew over to the sill and latched onto the golem’s wing once again with his teeth. Neah could have sworn he had caught sight of a small tick of annoyance marring the yellows that gave the creature its distinct appearance.

Kneeling down to the level of the two golems, Neah smiled. “Would you mind showing me how the little thing managed to get into the ark?” he requested mildly. 

Upon hearing his appeal, Timcanpy released the artificial creature’s wing and opened his mouth. Neah watched, blinking it slight surprise and embarrassment as he spotted the device fly from Kanda’s jacket and through the gate that he had opened to take his leave.

“....my bad,” he sighed dryly as Timcanpy’s mouth closed. The golem nodded in agreement, provoking Neah to poke his golden cheek and tug at it lightly. “Yes, I know, I should have been more alert,” he agreed. “But they can’t possibly have a very easy time trying to get through this ark either.”

The golden cross-marked creature nibbled at his finger with serrated teeth, evoking a soft chuckle from his lips. “I hope they hurry and try, though. I don’t want to keep my Mana waiting; I’ve left him for long enough.” Timcanpy nodded in concurrence.

Neah smiled and cupped the golem in both of his hands, smiling as the creature settled into his hold comfortably, He laughed quietly. “It’s probably not natural for a Noah to feel like that, right?” he ventured. “We’re supposed to be controlled by the memories of Noah that we have.”

Timcanpy nodded once again, nuzzling his hands with the movement. A sigh elicited from his umber lips. “It has to stop somehow,” he stated, his eyes drifting over to the unserviceable golem that laid limp upon the windowsill. “It’s ruined too many lives.” 

The golem took flight from his seat within Neah’s hands to press close to the Noah’s chest. Shifting to hold him with one hand, Neah forged a counterfeit smile. “The more you live, the less you want to die, right, Tim?” he articulated. 

The pressure that pressed against the chest of the Noah of destruction increased slightly as Timcanpy attempted to move closer to him. Neah sighed and knelt on the floor before the windowsill, holding the golden-yellow creature carefully so as not to hurt him.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s much choice though,” he breathed. His amber eyes darkened slightly, but still managed to flash brightly in the recesses of his room. “I will destroy everything this time, Tim,” he stated with a calm intensity. “I won’t fail this time. I’ll destroy everything.”

Despite the gravity of his words, Timcanpy did not move away from where he was situated between Neah’s hand and chest. The Noah’s grip around him tightened somewhat, but he remained still within the grip of the white-haired male.

“Will you remember all of this, Tim?” he questioned mildly, not wishing to disrupt the tranquil ambience that endured within the confines of his room. “When it’s all over?”

He felt the slight shift within his grip as the golem nodded against his chest. He smiled and gently rubbed Timcanpy between the small golden horns that protruded from his crown with his thumb. “That’s nice…although if you didn’t want to, you don’t have to.” In response, he could only see the shaking of disagreement proceed from the body of the creature.

“Don’t get yourself hurt, all right?” he commanded, not unkindly. “I’m sure Allen would be sad if you did. I would be too.” Shifting, he moved the creature onto his shoulder and allowed him to settle comfortably upon himself. Timcanpy’s minuscule legs clung firmly through his shirt and to his shoulder.

Neah chuckled and glanced over at the device that lay on the windowsill, no longer fit for any use. Reaching over to it, he grasped it in his hand, staring carefully at it. His eyes drifted over to Timcanpy, and he tilted his head slightly.

“Is this Kanda’s golem?” he inquired. In response, the creature perched upon his shoulder nodded. He frowned slightly. The device had been partially crushed when he had compressed it to disable it. He frowned. Even if the Order issued golems at their leisure, they were more than machines to him. 

He would be heartbroken if he had lost Timcanpy only for the golem to be replaced by something else. He wondered if that was the case for Kanda. Considering his volatile personality, Neah doubted it, but he still felt obligated to fix the destruction he had caused.

Clasping the creature between his two hands, he murmured over it before opening his digits to free the creature that flew from his grip to land upon the window, Neah laughed slightly at the feeling of Timcanpy tensing and dashing forward to entrap its wing in his teeth once more.

“It’s harmless, Tim,” he persuaded. “The Order won’t be able to track it any more.” Even with his guarantee, the golden golem seemed reluctant to release the wing of the one-eyed creature who struggled against him in attempts to escape. 

Reaching out, Neah carefully extricated Timcanpy’s teeth from the black creature’s wing, amusement shining in his amber gaze. “Are you jealous, Tim?” he teased, poking the creature in the centre of his cross fleury. In response, Timcanpy hopped over to the corner of the windowsill, pointedly turned away from him.

A louder laugh escaped Neah’s throat at the sight. “Don’t worry, Tim. I’d never replace you,” he attempted to convince. At his words, the golem slowly turned to face him again. Neah grinned faintly. “I promise,” he assured. 

Before the word was even completed, the gold-yellow spherical golem dashed towards him, pressing close to his chest again. Releasing the one-eyed creature and allowing it to settle on the windowsill, he hugged Timcanpy to his chest in amusement.

“You’re such a child, Tim,” he guyed good-naturedly. “Just because I look away from you doesn’t mean I’ve stopped caring about you.” He laughed slightly as the golem tugged at his shirt with serrated teeth. Rubbing the pads of his fingers against Timcanpy’s head, he  allowed the creature to remain close to him.

His gaze drifted back to the black Order-issued golem that stared unblinking at him. He watched it carefully for a few silent moments before reaching out for it with one hand and scooping it into a loose grip. “And you’ll have to stay for a little longer,” he informed warmheartedly. “I’ll see that you get back to Kanda though.” He could not even provoke a movement from the creature who seemed as still as a statue in his hand.

Perhaps it was because the creature held no attachment whatsoever to him. After all, it was most likely the first time it possessed a personality, considering its previous identity as a mechanism under the rule of the Black Order. He sat it back upon the window and stood up, still holding Timcanpy to his chest with one hand.

“I hope you’ll stay with Kanda when you meet him again. It’s not very nice to leave your owner if he doesn’t tell you to,” the Noah admonished, not unkindly.

He turned his back to the creature and began to walk for the birch door of his room. “But for now, just stay here. You’ll hurt yourself if you try and leave the ark, and then even I won’t be able to do anything about it.”

Laying a gloved hand upon the door, he pushed it open and left the room. Stepping through the halls in silence, he loosened his grip around Timcanpy, allowing the golem to fly up and alight upon his shoulder. His gaze scanned the halls carefully to make certain that no other Noah were present.

He was disinclined to face the other Noah after what had occurred earlier that day, assuming them to be warily hostile around him even now. His features remained neutral as he traversed the length of the hall, passing many closed doors. 

A moment of reluctance slipped into his golden gaze as it darkened visibly upon reaching the end of the hall. Lifting his hand, he set it on the handle of the door without bothering to even knock. Twisting the handle abruptly, he pushed the door open.

He winced in displeasure at the creaking of the hinges and stepped into the room, allowing the door to swing shut behind him. Striding further into the room, he made his way towards the bed that rested within the centre of it. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Much to his relief, the figure upon the bed was still fast asleep. Soundlessly, he slipped closer to the man and sat himself upon the edge of the bed. His amber gaze surveyed the sight of the slumbering figure before him darkly, his hands gradually creating the images of fists. Timcanpy hopped down from his shoulder to settle before him on the sheets, facing the Earl. 

His hand reached towards the man and almost closed around his neck, but Neah managed to resist the urge to strangulate the sleeping Duke Millennium. Drawing his hand back, he stared at the features that he could only describe as hideous. 

The aura surrounding his body hinted bitterness as he gazed unspeaking at the form that laid vulnerable before him. His eyes lidded themselves partially as he attempted to cloak the thirst for vengeance that gathered within his chest, suddenly causing the task of breathing to be much more difficult than it ought to be. 

“I hate you,” he whispered softly, his words carrying all the malice from his very soul to his tongue and out his lips. His white tresses shadowing the dark complexion of his face. Reaching forward, his hand ran gently along the cheek of the Millennium Earl, careful to not awaken him. “I hate you more than I hate exorcists and Innocence.”

His voice dripped liberally with animosity despite the softness of his tone. His fingers twitched vaguely and he combated the rising compulsion to drag his nails down the Earl’s face and disfigure it far more than it had already been disfigured.

How it was that he could abhor a person to such an intolerable extent, he wasn’t certain. All he knew was that this man was someone who he desperately needed to slaughter. His jaw tightened as he drew his hand back from the Earl’s face, his head hanging and his hair falling over his shoulder, nearly brushing the sheets.

“I hate you so much, it hurts… I want to kill you,” he hissed softly. “I will not leave this body until I kill you,” he continued, his voice aching with bitterness. “I will never forgive you for what you did to Mana. Never…” The words were neither a lie, nor an exaggeration. His body borderline ached with the indomitable urge to utterly slaughter the man.

His head hung so low that it nearly made contact with the sheets spread across the article of furniture. His body shook vehemently as he suppressed the utter rage and loathing that he held for the man who slept so peacefully before him. It was strange, he realized. His response with merely being in the Earl’s presence was exceptionally violent.

When he had reunited with the Earl, his bloodlust had been powerful, but the sudden growth of it shocked even he himself. It was becoming more difficult to hold his composure around the man when all he wished was to dye the ground with the man’s blood. The vision had become so intoxicating, his body was grappling with itself to the best of its ability to repress his innate fixation with eliminating the Earl.

How he could experience such a bloodthirsty desire against one of his own, he didn’t know. It couldn’t be natural for a Noah to turn on their own family. And yet, the rancor had somehow limited itself solely to the Earl. A strangled exhale elicited from his lips as he remained bowed at the Earl’s side.

His passions raged within him so violently, he was beginning to fight tears from spilling out of Allen’s unfortunately weak tear ducts. His nails dug harshly into his hands causing his skin to break and blood to pool from the lacerations.

At the sight of his owner, Timcanpy could only pad close to Neah’s head of pristine white hair and nuzzle it in an attempt at comforting the Noah. 

An enraged sob tore itself from Neah’s throat as he gripped the sheets rigidly, staining the muted neutral colours in crimson red from the open wounds upon his hands that his nails had caused. His eyes squeezed shut with a vengeance, but could not prevent the hot beads of water from spilling down his umber face.

Gritting his teeth tightly to hinder his throat from causing unwanted noise, he attempted to force down the sobs of unadulterated fury and enmity against the man that lay before him. The dull pain pulsated at every inch of his body relentlessly, his instincts screaming at him to put an end to the Earl, but he could not bring himself to.

To move out of turn was disastrous, and Neah could not permit himself to fulfill his desire despite the fact that the sleeping man was susceptible to any attack at any given moment. Another strangled sob extracted itself from Neah’s throat as he remained prostrate at the edge of the bed by the Earl’s side.

Much to his chagrin, his presence had finally roused the Millennium Earl into wakefulness, and yet, his body could not settle itself into a countenance of self-possession. He was repulsed by the arms that wrapped around his slender body, lifting it from where it lay at the bedside.

“Why are you crying, Neah? Don’t cry,” that distasteful voice called out to him.

His amber eyes, reddened by tears stared at him with animus that he attempted to hide. Watching himself, he pushed the Earl away from his form, swiping a gloved hand over his eyes and staring downwards, namely at Timcanpy to hide his wrathful visage from the man.

“I’m fine, he responded with an unusual sharpness. He needed to leave. Promise to spend time with the Earl or not, he could not enable himself to endure the man’s presence for much longer. Sliding off the bed, he started for the door, not looking at the Millennium Earl. “I’ll see you later,” he muttered under his breath, quickly leaving the room.

His hand reached up to his head as he hide his face from sight. That performance was loathsome to the core and disgusted him. He wasn’t certain of just how much more he would be able to endure before he bluntly snapped.

Feeling a weight press against his cheek, he lowered his hand to sight Timcanpy nuzzling his cheek worriedly. He smiled unconvincingly and wrapped his hands around the golem, holding him gently to his chest. “I’m all right, Tim,” he attempted to say, his voice cracking mid-sentence. 

He winced at the sound, his faux smile dissipating within seconds of having been fabricated. His gaze drifted down to Timcanpy, who nuzzled against him once again in attempts to console his raging soul that refused to give him quarter once stirred up.

“That wasn’t very pleasant, was it?” Neah rasped, a humourless chuckle passing his lips as he began to stroll down the hall, headed back for his room. His grip around the golem tightened slightly, but Timcanpy made no complaint.

The sound of erratic footsteps rang throughout the eerily silent hall, none of the other Noah present to witness the delicate state of the 14th Noah as he leaned against the wall tiredly in his excursion back to his quarters of the ark.

* * *

Allen winced. The chains that bound him almost burned causing the self-induced welt on his skin to only grow redder. He undoubtedly was not doing himself any favour by struggling to escape from the gilt prison that was the chain-swathed throne he sat upon.

How long it had been since he had last spoken with Neah, he didn’t know, but he couldn’t bring himself to mull over such a banal matter; not when there were other more pressing matters at hand that needed to be dealt with promptly. 

Physical strength would do nothing, he had discovered, after exerting himself on multiple occasions for the purpose of at least loosening the binds that constricted his body, restraining him from almost any movement. It was almost as though the more he struggled, the more inextricably entangled he found himself.

Allowing his body to slacken in resignation, he surveyed the barren land around himself. There had to be some way to solve the oblique situation. He sighed. 

He wondered just what Neah was up to in his body. No doubt his fellow exorcists had developed animosity against him due to the awakened presence of the 14th Noah in his body. Especially Kanda. His lips curled into a faint smile of  amusement.

Kanda would probably be all for the unusual turn of the situation, merely so he could have an excuse to hurt him. The thought, regardless of how amused he felt due to it, pained him somewhat. 

He had sent the raven away with the hope that he would finally be at peace. It was the least he could do for the dark-haired exorcist. After all, Kanda had suffered so much heartbreak under the Order because of his selfless and indirectly subservient nature. If not more, Allen wished to grant the second exorcist his own desires.

However, Kanda had turned the purpose of the execution on its head and returned to the slave-driving Black Order. Allen couldn’t fight the slight feeling of betrayal that crept into his chest. He had become aware that Kanda was the character that would not betray his loyalties, but Allen had assumed his loyalties laid only with his first friend and lover.

Now that Kanda had reassumed his position as an exorcist, the white-haired teen felt strangely hollow. Perhaps he had always experienced that strange emptiness, but for the life of him, he could not pinpoint its source. He frowned.

If only the long-haired exorcist could learn how to be selfish for once! His frown transitioned into a faint scowl. He had freed Kanda only for the male to imprison himself once again. The situation was so ironic, he could laugh. 

His lips parted, but no sound elicited from them. The very thought of the dark-haired male caused a dull throb to pulse at his chest. It was bizarre. He could not claim to completely hate Kanda, and yet, for some strange reason, part of him wished that the second exorcist had followed Alma into the realm of eternal slumber.

Even those thought were contradicted by his mind. A pang squeezed at his chest as he imagined just how it would have been if Kanda had not returned. Perhaps then the raven would have finally been able to smile with Alma once again; even that thought caused a tinge of resentment to sneak into Allen’s heart.

He found Kanda’s mind to be inconceivable, but his thoughts concerning the long-haired male were equally perplexing. A sigh passed his lips. Maybe he was just hungry. He hadn’t eaten in how long, and he doubted Neah was eating enough to suffice his appetite.

Dryly, he tugged at the chains again, a soft grumble passing his lips. That settled it. He needed to get out of here and find something to eat before he starved to death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Allen. His feelings for Kanda are rivaled by his servitude to his stomach -.-


	11. Demise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry about this chapter...I really can't write action at all -.- So forgive the very very bad quality.  
> Anyway, Headquarters have found the Noah hideout! Yay, What next? Oh, just the typical chaos.  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

Kanda’s figure tensed abruptly as he turned to stare at the redhead, his dark gaze narrowed, careful to not betray any emotion that may have slipped into his gaze which had become unusually expressive as of late whether he desired it or not.

“Yeah - he says he wants you to know since he used your golem to track down their hideout.” 

That sounded false, Kanda deduced, a frown curled onto his pale lips. It was probably because of the words that he had permitted out of his his mouth earlier. However, the rabbit did not need to know that and therefore he would not speak of it.

“Che.” The characteristic sound left Kanda’s lips thoughtlessly as he grabbed Mugen once again, strapping the sword to his hip. Turning stiffly, he strode out of his room, the redheaded usagi following in close suit. 

Directing his steps to where the Supervisor’s disorderly office was situated, he spared a glance at Lavi, who was watching him both silently and intently. The sight was somewhat unsettling to see firsthand, but Kanda made no comment upon it, not desiring to strike up a conversation with the Bookman Junior.

“Hey, Yuu, are you mad because he used your golem?” Lavi questioned, his ebullient tone not matching the calculating expression within his one visible emerald eye.

“It’s just a device,” Kanda dismissed, pointedly shifting, Mugen tangling between Lavi’s legs and nearly causing him to fall flat upon his face. Lavi frowned, as if disappointed with the response that he had received. Kanda ignored the expression. If the rabbit was unsatisfied, he could find someone else to bother. Better yet, he could leave Kanda alone.

His eyes drifted out of the window. The weeping of the sky had ceased, resulting in mellow greys to overshadow the sky. It did remind him of a certain moyashi, as much as he didn’t wish to admit it. A scowl spread over his features.

Opening the door to the office, his ears were met by the sound of a familiar voice. His eyes drifted over to Komui, who was seated and staring at a screen. 

“-ill despise all you exorcists and your Innocence, but I can’t let you gather more information on where I am right now, so I’ll have to end there.”

Whatever had been said prior to those words, Kanda didn’t quite catch, but it was enough for him to recognize the familiar tone that he had been acquainted with when they had attempted to retrieve the innocence prior. It was, without a doubt, the 14th.

The Chief Officer glanced up at the two who had taken the liberty to enter his office without caring to fulfill the common courtesy of knocking before entering. He cleared his throat. “I take it you heard at least some of that?”

“Che.”

“Wonderful! That means I don’t have to say so much.” His pentagon framed glasses were pushed up the bridge of his nose as he stood up. “However, he did say a few strange things. And in particular, he told you--!” A finger abruptly pointed at Kanda. “To hurry up. He didn’t say what for though.”

“Hey - didn’t he say something like that last time too?” Lavi ventured, head tilted. 

Kanda clucked his tongue. “That doesn’t matter. Where is he?” he questioned abruptly, his expression and tone inscrutable. 

He could feel the one and a half gazes that were fixed on his figure, as if trying to see into his mind and decipher all that was running through his head. Thankfully, being a genius or a Bookman Junior did not mean one was endowed with the ability to read Kanda’s expressions when he set his face to stone.

“Where is he?” he repeated, wishing to depart from the headquarters as soon as the circumstances allowed. He caught the vague look that was exchanged upon the features of the scientist and the rabbit, and immediately realized that the situation may not turn in his favour. A “Che,” passed his lips as he wordlessly awaited his response. 

“I’m afraid we won’t necessarily be able to do that,” Komui stated regrettably. Kanda frowned. He had assumed that would be the answer he received. 

“Why not?” he inquired brusquely. Komui cleared his throat.

“For one, this is their ark. We must have a proper strategy before running into their domain, otherwise we won’t be as fortunate as we were last time. We don’t have anyone who can control the ark on our side. You and the rest were almost destroyed along with the ark.”

The Branch Chief fell silent, staring at him as though attempting to convey his purpose to the second exorcist. The few seconds of silence that progressed between them were soon broken as Komui’s glasses flashed and a comical expression of indignation stole over his features. Standing up from where he sat behind his desk, he slammed his fist atop the wooden furnishing.

“You almost killed my precious Lenalee and I won’t let you do it again!” 

“Che. I was intending to go alone,” Kanda snapped, glaring at the Supervisor. His dark gaze did not grow lighter at the antics of Komui. 

Clearing his throat, the Head Officer sat down once again and clasped his hands together in front of his face. His dark eyes met Kanda’s calmly and he shook his head once again. “I already told you earlier, Kanda. I can’t let you go.”

“Then I’ll go of my own volition!” Kanda responded almost immediately. “Now tell me where he is.”

“I’ll tell you once we’ve formulated a plan to overpower them,” Komui stated simply. 

Kanda stared at the Supervisor, thickly veiled desperation cowering behind the thick blanket of ire that swathed his gaze. He uttered no verbal response, instead turning an about-face and stalking out of the office without a word.

His dark gaze narrowed. Whatever the case, he could feel the urgency of the Noah’s words, although what they implied, he could not be certain. Why he felt inclined to heed them was beyond him as well, taking into consideration that the one who had spoken them was a Noah.

The 14th must be an unnaturally gifted actor if his words were a mere hoax to induce Kanda’s undoing. Regardless of how little he wished to listen to the exhortations of the Noah, they had ingrained themselves into his mind, constantly troubling him with their ambiguity.

His eyes narrowed as he made his way to his room, his gaze fixated upon the ground as though wishing that it would open up and swallow all of them whole. His stance grew guarded with each step he took, as he deliberated on the current circumstances.

Why he desired to make haste and fulfill the request of the Noah when it would doubtless mean he would have to carry out his task of killing the possessor and the possessed, he did not know. Silently, he wondered if the 14th was aware of the current occurrences, and merely wished to hasten the inevitable spectacle.

If that were the case, he was certain that he would have nothing left to lose any longer. With Alma’s fading, he had lost the one thing that he had lived out this cursed existence for. If he were to take the life of both the 14th and the beansprout, there was no fixation remaining for him to follow. If he died at the hands of the Noah, which he would not allow, then he would regain his liberty of being at Alma’s side once again.

Somehow, the thought did not appeal to him as much as he would have expected. The more he considered joining Alma in hell, most likely, the less he wished for it to happen.  He needed to live. His eyes slid to a close as he mentally apologized to the late brunet, harbouring too much pride to allow it from his lips.

Kanda frowned. The already weighty atmosphere around the Headquarters seemed to have grown much heavier, although he was not sure whether it was merely his own foreboding that provoked the aura, or whether it truly was more languorous than what could be deemed normal.

His gaze drifted out one of the many windows that were hewn into the walls of the Headquarters. The sight that met his eyes shocked him, enough to break his taciturn shell and provoke his eyes to widen. Turning abruptly, he near ran for the Supervisor’s office once again.

Slamming open the door without any announcement, he stared at the Branch Head and the apprentice Bookman. The two turned to stare at him in vague surprise, but he shook off the sensation of judgement that flooded over him, sourced by the two.

“West,” he hissed sharply. 

Noting the urgency in his tone, Lavi dashed out of the office to fire a brief glance out one of the windows that faced the west. His hands, which had steadied him with the help of the windowsill, clenched around the stone blocks. 

Tearing his gaze and his grip away, his feet carried him back to Komui’s office, his typically cheery features razed by an uncharacteristically grim expression. He burst into the office with an equal disregard for courtesy that had previously been exhibited by the long-haired second exorcist.

“Akuma,” he stated, his voice tight and even somewhat strained. 

A frown stole over Komui’s features as he stood to his feet. “How many?”

“Look,” Kanda stated tersely, his head jerking towards the east-facing window built into the office. 

The sight would be enough to cause the morale of even seasoned exorcists to diminish. Indeed, it would have not been an exaggeration to claim that the godforsaken creatures nearly blocked the sight of the sky due to their numbers. 

Fortunately for them, the akuma were still a considerable distance away, although the thought only served to lessen the enthusiasm of the beholder at the realization of the quantity of dark-matter controlled souls were advancing towards the Headquarters.

“Call everyone,” the Branch Chief stated bleakly. “It appears as though they’ve chosen to make the first move.”

“No kidding,” Lavi sighed, stepping towards the door once again. 

Kanda could hear the loud cries of “Akuma!” ring through the air long after the redhead had taken his leave. His dark gaze drifted over to the Supervisor, whose eyes remained fixated upon the virtual swarms of the creatures that were gradually growing closer to the island. 

His eyes scanned the sky, tracing over each figure sharply until they landed upon the source of the sudden impending invasion. His hand wrapped itself about Mugen’s hilt in a purposeful manner as the shapeshifting Noah of lust stared at him with inscrutable golden eyes.

Even from a distance, Kanda could easily see that she had the intention of razing their abode to the ground once again. He was aware that such blunt tactics were not her style, leading him to wonder if this was merely the opening act of the production.

His eyes scanned the akuma-infested sky once again in attempts to see if any other Noah were present, namely a certain white-haired one, but to his dismay, he found none. Clucking his tongue in aggravation, his gaze drifted over to Komui.

The Branch Head remained fixated upon the akuma, his gaze thoughtful. How anyone could appear so calm at this time, Kanda didn’t know. He supposed it was only to be expected of the man that had been appointed Supervisor of the Science Department, Chief Officer of the Black Order, and Branch Head of the European Branch. 

For once, he admitted some degree of respect for the man despite refusing to voice it. He breathed out a sigh and closed his eyes, allowing his tense body to calm itself. After a few moments, his dark orbs unlidded themselves and turned to stare expressionlessly at Komui.

“Orders?”

Komui turned to look at him, a weary smile crossing his features. “Once you’re all gathered, eliminate them,” he stated simply. 

Kanda merely nodded and turned to stride out of the office. His mind whirled. If only the Noah of lust was present, that meant they would be facing akuma alone while she herself advanced for a different purpose. Thankfully, the Noah of desires was not present quite yet; it would be troublesome to deal with not only akuma, but being manipulated to the will of the self-proclaimed sadist.

His eyes narrowed at the sight of the flames that had begun to spring up from the ground by employment of the usagi’s Gouraiten, creating a wall of sorts to segregate the Headquarters from the akuma. He was well aware that the shield would not be sufficient to prevent the advance, but it bought them some time, even if only a few minutes.

Trailing to his room, he caught sight of the scientists running for Komui’s office, most likely to utilize some machine or the other for the purpose of attack or defence. His eyes drifted around the hall, the din of attempted organization flooding his ears.

Disregarding the calls, he made his way to his room. Locking himself within it, he let his hair down, allowing it to cascade down his back. His dark gaze drifted to the blossoms upon his table. Three more of the buds had opened, leaving only three remaining. His own lotus continued to shrivel at a sedate pace, the petals dulling and clinging to whatever remained.

Setting down his typical hair tie, he pulled the scarlet ribbon that had served the purpose of binding the arrangement of flora that he had removed from Allen’s room out of his black and silver exorcist uniform. Closing his eyes, he listened to the animated yells of the inhabitants of the Headquarters that rung mutedly outside the door of his room.

Pulling his hair up once again, he secured it in place with the scarlet ribbon, his eyes opening to stare out the window of his room. His gaze landed upon the exorcists that had already broken out into the field, prepared to annihilate the lower level akuma that had breached the shield.

His gaze drifted up into the sky to catch sight of the hideously leering faces of the level fours as they commenced their blitz from the sky. The beams of dark matter would have brought about the near immediate destruction of the Headquarters, but the pale green shield surrounding the monument ensured that it would stand for the duration of the incursion at the very least.

Kanda’s eyes drifted along the sky as he stood upon the windowsill in silence, eyes searching the sky for the Noah. After all, the simplest, albeit perhaps the most difficult tactic to end a battle was to destroy the head. In this case, he was well aware that it was the Noah of lust.

Drawing Mugen, he invoked his innocence near soundlessly, his voice barely a whisper. His gaze raked the sky for the Noah, who he was aware would not be partaking in the main confrontations with the exorcists unless completely necessary.

“Kaichuu: Ichigen!” He hissed, buying himself time as he threw himself from the window, taking to the ground to aid his fellow exorcists in the vanquishing of the level two and three akuma. The parasitic creatures began their assault upon the akuma within the sky as he engaged in battle upon the ground.

This development was only unexpected and did not come parallel with any plans he had constructed within his mind.  He did loathe when things did not go according to plan, and this was very much included in that.

However, he could not afford to spend his life force just yet. Catching sight of Lavi and Lenalee taking to the sky, he clucked his tongue. He would join the two soon, he decided. However, he could not exert himself truly until the true enemy appeared: the ones that governed the akuma. 

In the face of the destruction that was being wreaked, Kanda underwent an anomalous sense of calm. His ears fully registered the cries as his comrades had begun to fall, but his movements remained unaffected by the happenings. His eyes were partially lidded as he continued to eradicate the akuma before him with a graceful ease.

The sensation of peace was bizarre; after all, this was a battle that the Order could not afford to lose. After having been demolished once and rebuilt once more, the Headquarters was facing a dire situation in which the same could potentially occur once again. 

The purplish smoke, courtesy of fallen akuma had begun to create an acrid smog in the air. Kanda cast a quick glance around himself at his fellow exorcists. Many did not seem to be gravely injured, much to his unwanted relief. His eyes trailed up to the sky where the ones combating the level ones and fours were not faring so well.

Even from the ground, Kanda could see the red falling from Lavi’s eyepatch that was not his hair. The redhead’s teeth were gritted as the serpentine sentience fabricated from fire disappeared. Within the span of a few seconds, it was replaced by bright flashing of energy that emitted from the clouded sky, directed at the akuma. 

Faring not much better, Lenalee was never in one place for more than a few seconds, forced to leap from one akuma to the other as the mindless evils had no difficulty destroying their own. Of course they would not, considering more were emerging from thin air courtesy of the Noah.

As for her, Kanda had yet to sight her position. Half-consciously, he tore through whatever akuma assaulted him while keeping a constant gaze upon the sky where he had last caught sight of her. His attention was abruptly torn away by a voice that sounded out shockingly close to his ear.

“You won’t find her, you know.” 

Abruptly jumping back, Kanda threw a haphazard slash at the white-haired male who watched him with faint amusement. His state of calmness was abruptly broken as he realized just how much of the area was stained by crimson and not sinister purple.

“I can see why he has such a fixation with you,” Wisely nearly yawned, lowering himself into a cross-legged position upon the latest corpse he had created. Kanda could not identify the body due to the mutilation of its face following by the sinewy residue of the brain. His jaw tightened.

Stepping forward, he grabbed hold of his sheath in his left hand, the cry of “Nigentou: Hakka Tourou!” leaving his lips. He could not afford to let the Noah of wisdom have his way upon the field. However, the sight of the white-haired male had triggered a sense of alarm within him upon the realization that others would soon appear upon the battlefield.

“Smart - you’re right--!” the Noah confirmed, barely evading the slashes and standing a small distance away from him out of the immediate range of Mugen. 

“Che.”

“You seem to be the only one that thinks of things other than the Order,” Wisely drawled, shrugging slightly. Kanda scowled openly at the Noah, not troubling himself to hide the open resentment in his gaze. It would be something he regretted, he realized, but he could not bridle himself the liberty.

“Neah will be here soon enough once someone alerts him,” the Noah continued, his aloof features twisting into yet another yawn. “I don’t know why I have to be here though… I’d rather not be fighting,” he complained loosely. Kanda frowned and lunged at him once again, his body twisting as one of his two blades of energy aimed to lacerate the male’s body.

“Shouka: Sangenshiki!”

Flying once again for the white-haired teen, his blades moved with a swiftness that provoked the Noah to utilize effort into dodging the rapid blows that targeted him. One managed to catch his arm, ripping a vicious gash into the white sleeve of his clothing, cutting through skin and flesh and dying the limb in crimson.

“Troublesome…” the Noah sighed, a hiss of pain eliciting from his lips as the blade of energy caught him once again, rending his exposed side. Finally catching his ground, Wisely’s eyes narrowed before he ran towards the long-haired second exorcist.

Kanda’s stance abruptly tensed as the Noah quickly moved, near vanishing from his sight before an arm wrapped loosely around his neck from behind him, a hand resting upon the side of his face. His pale, three-pupiled gaze, surrounded by protruding veins, trailed back a few moments too late as the Noah chuckled languidly.

“Oops.” 

Kanda’s body grew rigid as an excruciating pain lanced through his head. His eyes grew partially lidded as they dulled. The darkness left his gaze and it cleared to a blank, pale slate-blue. His gaze slid from where it had once glared at Wisely to stare blankly at nothing that was before him.

As the Noah released his form, it crumbled to the ground and lay there. Crimson bloomed like a flower from his ears, spilling from the depressions at his head and colouring the ground. Kanda’s celeste gaze possessed a hollow lifelessness as it stared blankly at nothing.

With a sigh, Wisely ran a bloodstained hand through his white locks, smearing the substance over his hair unwittingly. “People these days have no patience…” 

Casting a glance at the already torn up battlefield, he leaned down and lifted Kanda’s rapidly cooling form into his grip. Turning, he began to bolt from the battlefield, headed for the stretch of forest that separated the Headquarters from the small township at the opposite end of the island.

Upon reaching a secluded clearing within the densely packed foliage, he set the second exorcist’s body upon the damp grass, sliding down into a cross-legged position at his side. Closing his eyes, Wisely breathed out a weary sigh.

“We can’t let you fight, exorcist,” he stated simply to Kanda’s lifeless form. “Not until ‘he’ arrives.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry readers, for this terrible chapter. I'm sorry Kanda - I just blew up your brains. Again.


	12. Latitude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 12, wonderful readers. Thanks so much for putting up with me and this for so long ^~^  
> A shout out to the lovely chloe for her kind words - thank you so much and I'll try to be more confident~ it's just difficult sometimes...but I'm glad you're enjoying this story~  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

“Oh, 14th.” 

Tiredly, Neah lifted his gaze to see the man that stood before him, a faint yet somehow unpleasant smirk emblazoned onto his chiseled, dark features. An unconvincing smile spread over Neah’s face, the expression combined with his emotional instability causing a glint of madness to reflect in his golden eyes.

“Sheril,” he acknowledged, his tone still somewhat raspy after his encounter with his own near unendurable wrath. 

The Noah of desire chuckled and moved over to one of the many doors lining the hall, twisting the handle of one and opening it, his features remaining fixated on Neah. Motioning out of it, the Noah’s smirk grew. “We’ll be needed soon,” he stated simply, offering the white-haired Noah a glance out of the door.

Wearily, Neah’s gaze trailed over to see just what he was needed for. If it was another menial task, he’d have to politely refuse. He doubted he was physically or mentally prepared for tasks that would involve bloodshed at the moment, considering the fact that he would likely lose his grip on himself.

“Isn’t it lovely?” the taller Noah stated casting a glance out of the door. “It’s brilliant--!” 

Amber eyes widened as Neah’s gaze was met with the sight of the exorcists’ Headquarters. His eyes drifted back to Sheril as he realized that there was a familiar doll nestled upon his shoulder. Turning to stare out of the door once again, he plucked Timcanpy off his shoulder.

Murmuring something to the creature, he launched him off his hand, allowing him to fly out into the fray. Immediately in succession, Neah shut the door, leaning against it tiredly. “So… What happened?” he questioned, almost in a monotone.

“Millenie is going to destroy the exorcists once and for all, Allen~” Road chirped from where she sat upon Sheril’s shoulder in her doll form. “And we’re going to destroy the innocence for good!”

A slow, mirthless smirk spread itself over Neah’s dark lips. “Oh, is that so?” he questioned, his eyes darkening slightly. A soft chuckle passed his lips as he opened the door once again, staring down at the carnage that was being wreaked below him.

“Isn’t it wonderful,” he stated simply. His smirk widened slightly, his eyes partially lidding over in pleasure at the sight of the devastation. A louder laugh passed his lips. “Isn’t it?” he repeated, his voice rising as a hint of manic derangement slipping into his tone.

After his experience with the Earl, the sight of such a butchery burned pleasurably through his veins. Even he could not resist the urge to jump into the fray and slaughter along with his family. It was an innate urge that he found he resented, but it ran powerfully through his blood; it was ingrained into his DNA itself.

He found himself dissolving into almost non compos mentis laughter as his flashing gaze turned back to face Sheril and Road. The two seemed surprised by his sudden volatile switch in behaviour. He muted his laughter and merely smiled maniacally at the two, the expression causing his face to contort into an expression that was beautiful in all its frightfulness.

“Lift the curtain for me, Road, Sheril,” he chuckled, gripping the doorframe with the intention of jumping from the door to join the battle. 

Somewhere within the corner of his mind, he was aware that this was not what he wished to do. He had only one goal, but the urge to deviate from it was so tempting, he could not allow the opportunity to wreak havoc to slip from his grasp. After all, he was gifted with the memories of Noah’s destruction.

“Allen! Not yet,” Road called out from her adoptive father’s shoulder, reaching out with a plush arm as though attempting to stop him from going. “We’re supposed to head out later - not now!” 

“Don’t stop me, Road,” Neah almost crooned, his beatific amber eyes shining with a yearning to shed blood. The expression caused even the sadistic Sheril to take a wary step back from the 14th Noah who chuckled at the response that seemed to have evoked itself unasked from the Noah’s body.

“I’m being called,” he stated, his tone managing to remain somewhat deranged despite its initial expression of wistfulness. “I need to go,” he added before leaping down from the door. Landing upon the back of one of the many level four akuma, his face twisted into a smile of sadistic glee.

Pulling the glove from his left hand to reveal the innocence-embedded limb, he tossed the pristine article of clothing away. Ordering the akuma to sweep lower, he allowed himself the liberty of setting foot upon the bloodstained ground. 

His manic gaze turned to one of the many windows of the Headquarters as he lifted his left hand and waved. “Hello, Supervisor,” he called out, his mellow tone hinting madness. 

Immediately, the engagement between the two sides seemed to moderately freeze as all gazes of the exorcists stole over to him for at least the briefest of moments before resuming their fights with evident expressions of blank shock.

Neah laughed, despite the despair that lanced through his chest at the sight. He shouldn’t be here. He wasn’t meant to be fighting this. He had another battle to fight. And yet, he could not withstand the instinct that screamed at his weakening will to fight.

“Won’t you stop me?” he questioned, a sibilant edge to his voice. “Who knows what might happen if you allow me to run loose,” he continued, stepping closer to the nearest exorcist upon the field. It was clear that the man, whom Neah did not recognize, was hesitating, although refusing to back down.

His tongue snaked out to lick his darkly smirking lips as he launched himself at the exorcist. Without a second thought, he plunged Allen’s hand into the man’s chest and tore out his heart in a much less dignified exhibition than Tyki. Lifting it, he dropped the body and crushed the heart within his hand, his tongue flicking out to savour the taste of the life fluid. 

His eyes narrowed in pleasure as he whirled around to face the other exorcists that stood upon the island, a mad chuckle eliciting from his lips. Without even a word, he dashed for them, relishing their stricken expressions, the knowledge that most could not turn their weapons against Allen sitting well in his mind.

A flash of remorse crossed his golden gaze as his body moved of its own desires and ran for the exorcists. The fight that was exhibited by them was half-willed and weak; it did not take a fully functioning mind to realize that. And yet, for the exhilaration that ran through his body in the form of ecstatic adrenaline, he did not hesitate to tear them apart with his bare hands.

It was much better than utilizing the dark matter that was often exuded by his fellow Noah and that cursed the akuma with their form. To feel the hot liquid cool on his hands was gratifying in the most twisted of ways, he decided, a breathy sound of glee leaving his lips.

A sharp laugh left his throat as his gaze trailed up into the sky, sighting the redhead and the girl staring his way, both frozen in indubitable shock. He smiled almost pleasantly at them before lowering his gaze to those upon the ground, searching for his next target.

“Walker!” 

The cry jolted him from his blood-induced reverie, and he turned to catch sight of that man with the blond hair… Link - yes that was his name: Howard Link. Neah’s eyes narrowed as a smile stole over his lips. “Ah, someone who is willing to face me?”

“I am responsible for you, Walker, and if that responsibility incorporates being the cause of your death, then so be it,” the blond stated calmly, his sharp gaze fixating upon the Noah as two switchblades were freed from the confines of his red sleeves.

Neah chuckled and held a hand out to the man, motioning for him to move closer. “Come,” he invited. “I will make sure your life is well ended.” 

Without a word, the blond flew towards him at an alarming speed, blades flashing with a dull light as they aimed themselves at Neah with no hesitation. The golden eyes narrowed in gratification as he busied himself with dodging the repeated strikes.

“Should I take my time with you?” he taunted, his tone soft yet possessing an underlay of unhinged threat. His words did not seem to break the stone-faced expression of the Inspector, however, as the onslaught of flashing steel persisted.

“You aren’t Walker,” Link stated simply, his blade grazing the skin near Neah’s neck as the Noah barely shifted out of harm’s way. “I will have no guilt if I kill you.”

“Oh? You would be killing Allen as well if you killed me,” Neah countered, the smirk painted upon his features widening. He caught the split-second’s hesitation within the inspector’s eyes and deemed it an opportune moment to strike. 

Thrusting his arm out, he hooked his fingers into the flesh of the blond man’s shoulder. Pulling himself closer to Link, he chuckled. His lips beside the inspector’s ear, he whispered, “You made a mistake, Link.”

Jerking his appendage back with a savage strength, he completely tore off the blond’s arm, causing a slight cry of pain to leave the normally taciturn inspector’s lips. A cry passed his own lips, but of satisfaction at the sound that elicited from the blond.

“Melodious!” he exclaimed, ecstasy blanketing his voice as he revelled in the cry of the inspector. His slender, dark digits clasped around the appendage that he had torn off, snapping it in his manic grip without even realizing.

“Mamori Bane,” Link hissed between gritted teeth, his tone muffled by pain. As the talismans surrounded him, creating a barrier that segregated him from the Noah, his eyes widened. Glancing behind himself, he stared at the Headquarters. Gritting his teeth in vexation, he flashed another glance at Neah who had fixated his maniacal golden gaze upon him.

No one had yet moved to attack him, and Link himself was being restrained from that liberty as well. After all, Lvellie had higher priority than the Noah; he was not an exorcist, so strictly speaking, this was not a battle he was under official obligation to fight.

With those thoughts in mind, Link retreated from the scene with a frown upon his features as he gripped his shoulder from where his arm had been utterly torn off. 

Neah stared after him with vague disappointment in his gaze as he dropped the severed arm onto the blood-watered ground. His eyes drifted around at the remainders of his company, none of them daring to attack him for the attachment that they bore for his host.

“Oh my, is that it?” he taunted, his crazed eyes shining with condescending amusement despite his features retaining their almost unnatural pulchritude. “Won’t you come to me?” he invited, spreading his arms as though to initiate an embrace. “Or must I come to you?”

A terrifyingly beauteous grin stole over Neah’s lips as he once again broke into a run for the exorcists, his dark hands still dripping with crimson from his previous prey. 

Even as his body wreaked havoc upon the battlefield, he could feel despair-filled gazes fixed upon him as the people who had once considered his host an ally despondently turned against him. Neah could only laugh at the momentous event, his humanity lost within his bloodlust.

His gaze was dyed in a haze of red as his nails and teeth sunk into flesh with a deranged haphazardness, his senses dulled until the only thing that he could register was the sight, feeling, and scent of crimson that dyed his victims, himself, and his surroundings.

If any injury had been inflicted upon his being while his mind was completely overridden by his desire to destroy exorcists and innocence, he could not feel it. His gaze was wide and could almost be described as demented as he traversed the field of conflict, laying waste to whatever his feet set themselves upon and leaving a trail of gruesomely mutilated corpses in his wake.

His gaze trailed up into the sky as he spotted the ones that were still combating the akuma that flew through the air. His blood-soaked body twitched at the sight, desiring to enter the thick of the battle, wherever it was, and sate his detrimental desires.

Whatever had been left of his mild nature was swallowed in his craze to kill and utterly devastate all that contacted his path. After all, his memories were composed of Noah’s destruction: the destruction of any and all, friend or foe, proven by the akuma that had been annihilated by his unarmed hands in his craze.

Even so, his golden eyes shone brightly despite being veiled by a faint haze of obvious bloodlust. The Neah that had possessed a personality and empathy had been constrained into the recesses of his body’s psyche, and all that remained was the killing contrivance, the 14th Noah of destruction.

His feet launched him off the ground as his eyes set themselves upon the redhead with the hammer, of whose name he did not take the trouble of delving into Allen’s memories to recall. His features were curled into a serene smile that reeked of vociferous, inimical mania.

Lavi gathered himself together at the last possible moment in order to dodge the bloodstained hands that reached out to him with an aura of sadistic desire hanging off of them. It did not take the master observational ability that he had due to his status as the apprentice Bookman to catch sight of the malicious intent virtually dripping from every inch of his body alongside the blood he had shed.

His expression morphed into a prominent frown as he evaded the onslaught directed towards him without making any move to play on the offensive. 

His jaw clenched. This was why he had been told to be wary of bonds that could potentially form mutually between his acquaintances and himself. Were a case such as this to occur, he should have found himself able to strike without a second thought. And yet, here he stood, unable to even attempt harm towards this Noah, merely because he was within the body of the white-haired boy who Lavi considered one of his best friends.

And yet when he caught sight of that golden gaze that seemed to penetrate his very soul, his heart fell with the awareness that this was neither the short-statured teen, nor was it the mild-mannered Noah. This thing was neither human, nor akuma. This thing had become the personification of its memories: destruction.

Lavi’s lone visible eye drifted down to the carnage upon the ground. His sharp gaze caught sight of a few of the once many exorcists still engaged in battle with the akuma that advanced mercilessly. The sight of the crimson-stained scene was nearly enough to make him retch in repulsion, was his attention not occupied by the white-haired creature before him.

* * *

“Neah? You sent my dear Neah into battle when he’s still injured?” the Earl burst, his grotesque caricature wrapping around his body.

Sheril sighed and glanced over at his shoulder where Road still remained in her doll form. “We wouldn’t be able to stop him if we wanted to - he was intent on going.”

“He may have gotten hurt! Everyone - go and stop him!”

The Noah of desire sighed, running a hand through his long, black locks. His features twisted into a frown of displeasure, but he nodded. “Of course, Duke Millennium,” he stated simply. 

Stepping through the halls, he opened a door and stepped out. The sight that met his eyes caused him to stop short and stare in shock. Even Road upon his shoulder grew from limp to tense, her form transitioning from the doll to her true appearance.

“A…llen…?” she whispered, staring at the wreckage. 

Almost on instinct, Sheril moved in front of her vision, trapping her behind himself in an unusually familial protective stance. His gaze narrowed and his arm extended towards Neah. His fingers began to move, the strings of dark matter extending from them.

To his relief, it seemed to hinder the white-haired creature, who was momentarily rendered helpless in the face of his strings. He relaxed at the sight, his hands moving the Noah away from the exorcist boy with the eyepatch. It was an abnormal move, to allow the exorcist to live, but he could feel it, even from this distance; the consciousness residing within the teen’s body was not that of the 14th. In truth, it didn’t seem to possess a consciousness at all.

His posture abruptly tensed as his fingers grew stiff. His gaze trailed back to the Noah who had begun to struggle, despite the complete manipulation he should have exercised over the body. His amber eyes widened as he could see the strings being forcibly severed by the 14th.

“Allen!” Road shrieked.

Sheril stiffened further. It was the first time he had heard such a tone elicit from his darling daughter’s lips; she always seemed so composed, even under her guise of a child, despite being the first disciple of Noah. Immediately, he wrapped his strings around her body, preventing her from dashing for the white-haired life.

“Road, don’t,” he rebuked, his voice strewn with hints of fear. She could not move under his hold, he realized, but he did not relinquish his grip. “Don’t go near him.”

Glancing back, he spotted his fellow Noah beginning to flank him as they surveyed the damage and the source of the destruction. His lips curled into a frown. The only ones missing were Wisely and the Millennium Earl. Come to think of it, he had not seen the other white-haired Noah since the incident of that morning.

“That boy…” Tyki murmured, pulling his cigarette from between his teeth and allowing it to drop to the ground. Sheril glanced over at his brother to see the grim expression in Tyki’s golden eyes. 

“Let go of me!” Road screeched, Sheril having loosened his grip enough for her to speak. “I need to get to him! Let me go!”

“Road, no,” Tyki stated monotonously, his eyes drifting over to her. 

She glared at him with eyes that were on the verge of angered tears. The utter desperation in her gaze was enough to cause him to move back slightly. 

“He is untameable. Let him be.” 

The eyes of the remaining Noah turned to stare at the one other woman, who ignored them all in favour of watching the desolation unfold before her eyes.

“Let me get to him!” Road demanded once again, her voice catching in her throat as for the first time, tears spilled from her eyes that were not caused by the death of a family member. 

Shocked eyes stared at her, but she ignored them all. “Let me go!” she screamed once again, her amber gaze fixed upon the white-haired male upon the battleground. “I need to get to him - I can’t leave him like this! I…I love him…”

Even with the confession in mind, Sheril allowed his grip to tighten once again as he remorsefully put an end to her speech. He didn’t want to hear any of this any longer. If he did, he would most likely release her, only for her to rush to her death at the hands of that monstrosity that raged.

As a father, it was his responsibility to ensure the well-being of his daughter, and if that included preventing her from obtaining what she wanted, then he would do it. He could not allow her to face that beast that took no sides below them.

“Sheril, you stay here with Road,” Tyki stated tonelessly. His amber gaze drifted to the rest of the Noah. “Tryde, Fiddler, Mercym, twins, Lulu, Mightra. Let’s subdue him.”

“No!” The high-pitched howl left Road’s lips as she relentlessly struggled against the ability of her adoptive father in attempts to free herself. “Don’t! Not…not this! Not again!” she screamed, her voice growing hoarse with exertion.

Her endeavor to continue to speak was abruptly terminated by Sheril, who unwillingly shot a stern glare in her direction. “Road, you will not stop them,” he reprimanded. His eyes drifted over to his brother and he nodded. “I’ll try to help you. I can hinder him, but I can’t manipulate him for long.”

A nod was the simple response he received as the Noah of pleasure was flanked by the remaining Noah, save that of dreams, desire, destruction, and wisdom. The line of eight filed towards the Headquarters, for once having no intention of doing harm to the exorcists.

Their path was abruptly cleared of both akuma and exorcists, and the obvious despondency washed over the umber bodies as the sight of more Noah stole their final glimpses of hope from them. 

Tyki’s gaze met that of the Noah of destruction, provoking an unwanted shudder to run down his back. Whatever had happened thirty-five years prior was known to only four Noah, but staring into that insanity-laced gaze that somehow retained its inhuman beauty, he was inundated by the sudden realization of what just may have occurred.

“Hello, dear family.”

The voice was near mocking, and dripped with patronizing cynicism. Tyki stared down at the white-haired body, removing his gloves from his dark hands and tucking them into his jacket with a certain grace that harboured an underlay of threat.

“Hello, 14th of destruction.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where's that Earl when you want him, seriously? He hasn't even made an appearance on the battlefield yet. I wonder why...


	13. Saviour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, lovely readers~ Thank you all so much for your support (again~) and a shot out to chloe, Abdabx, and Ryuakilover for their wonderful encouraging and motivating comments~!  
> Things have been heating up, and we need a little relaxation every now and then, eh?  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

“Yuu - Yuu, wake up.”

Kanda’s eyes slowly opened before snapping shut once again as his gaze was acquainted with a painfully bright light. Blinking, he opened his eyes once again to stare upwards. His gaze widened at the figure that knelt over him, framed by a majestic blue sky.

“Al…ma?”

The familiar face grinned down at him, a chuckle escaping his lips as he sat back, staring at the second exorcist.

“Mhm! I’m so glad I could see you again, Yuu,” the brunet declared  happily, joy virtually lighting up his eyes as a smile spread over his features. “Or would you rather have me call you Kanda?” Upon stating the raven’s surname, Alma frowned. “That feels strange…” he admitted.

“Yuu’s fine,” Kanda stated simply, pushing himself up into a seated position before turning to stare at the brunet. “Where are we?”

Alma shrugged. “I don’t really know. I thought I’d end up in hell after everything,” he admitted wryly.

Kanda’s body immediately tensed as his gaze grew sharp. “You mean I’m dead?” he interjected abruptly, his voice taut with apprehension. Alma chuckled and reached out to poke Kanda’s cheek with an amused yet affectionate expression.

“Silly Yuu - I’d be mad at you if you joined me so soon,” he responded. “Of course you aren’t dead - you were pretty close though… That’s why I’m here.”

“Wait - you mean to say you wanted me to live?” Kanda questioned, a hint of confusion drifting into his gaze.

A laugh passed Alma’s lips and he tugged his fellow second exorcist into a hug, unable to help himself. Initially, Kanda tensed before finally relaxing in his grip. “Of course I wanted you to live! I mean… All right - at first I did try to kill you, but then I realized that you needed to live.”

Pulling back slightly from Alma’s grip, the long-haired exorcist stared at him with a frown. “What do you mean?”

“Well…” Alma paused before lowering his tanned arms from the raven’s body. “I got to see everything from over here while I was watching over you, and I think you’ve been chasing the wrong thing.”

Kanda stared at him, unspeaking. He’d heard similar words before, but from the mouth of a certain white-haired beansprout by inspiration of the 14th Noah. Why Alma would say something so strangely familiar, he didn’t know.

“Live over me, Yuu,” Alma stated, his tone unusually serious, given his typically ebullient personality. “I still love you, but you belong to someone else - you don’t belong to me, even if I’ll always belong to you.”

“What are you talking about, idiot?” Kanda snapped, miffed that Alma would even consider the situation in which he no longer loved him. “I’ve only…” he drifted off, his voice catching in his throat and rendering him silent. As much as he wished to say those words to the brunet, he found that he could not, and the guilt that washed over his body at the fact was mortifying.

A sad smile spread over Alma’s face as the brunet reached forward to tuck a lock of dark blue hair behind Kanda’s ear, his hand pausing to trail over the second exorcist’s pale cheek. “You can’t say it, right?” he ventured mildly. A laugh passed his lips. “It’s all right. It wasn’t meant for me anyway.”

“How can you say that?” Kanda interrupted, his voice tight. “You were my lover!”

“ _Were,_ Yuu.” Alma emphasized calmly. “I’m dead now, and there isn’t anything you can do about that.” Kanda’s gaze darkened with anger.

“I’m at least  _trying_ and all you can do is deny it?” he hissed irritably.

Alma stared at him silently for a few moments before dissolving into laughter. Kanda could only stare at him, stupefied, as he covered his eyes with one hand and fell onto the grassy ground, still laughing. A glare crept into his gaze.

“What are you laughing at?” he snapped, his standard bad mannerisms drifting back into his reactions.

This only served to make the brunet laugh harder, curling in on himself slightly and gripping his stomach with merriment as he began to gasp for breath, tears of mirth beading at the corners of his eyes. “Oh,  _Yuu,_ I’m… I’m  _so_ happy to see you haven’t changed a bit!” Alma gasped, staring up at the long-haired exorcist with joyfully narrowed eyes.

Kanda stared dumbly down at him for a moment before rolling his eyes, the faintest hints of a smile crawling onto his lips as he looked away from the brunet. “You haven’t changed much either,” he responded, his voice losing its hostile edge.

“I don’t think I’d like it if I did,” Alma mused, his laughter having died down, despite the lighthearted expression that remained embedded in his gaze. “I’d hate for you to not recognize me when we met again because I changed.”

“Idiot…like I can forget you,” Kanda retorted, microscopic allusions of fondness in his tone.

Alma smiled. “I’m happy you’ll remember me, Yuu,” he replied rolling over to face the raven-haired male beside him. His smile widened into a grin at the sight of the faint smile upon Kanda’s pale lips. “I really wish you’d smile more, you know. You look really beautiful when you smile.”

“I’m not beautiful - I’m a man,” Kanda denied, his smile dissipating into a scowl and his gaze refusing to meet that of the brunet that lay beside him..

“Handsome?” Alma offered. He grinned at the dark aura that had begun to gather around the raven and rolled onto his stomach, reaching up to poke Kanda’s cheek once again. “Kidding, kidding!” he quickly assured. “But seriously, Yuu - you look really nice when you smile.”

To that, Kanda had no response. He stared at the brunet who merely smiled honestly at him. He lowered his gaze and frowned. “Che… It’s just like you to say embarrassing things like that.”

“You mean I’m making you embarrassed, Yuu?” Alma chirped teasingly. “Wow - that’s a first… I never thought you could be embarrassed!”

Kanda sighed. “I would kill you for that, but you’re already dead.”

Alma’s eyes widened and he reached out to poke at Kanda’s arm. “Is this really Yuu?” he questioned apprehensively. “Yuu never cracks jokes!”

“Che--!” Kanda abruptly grabbed Alma’s hand, compressing it tightly in annoyance.

“Aah--! Just joking! I’m sorry!” the brunet remedied before his fingers could be broken by the grip of the second exorcist. As the grip upon his appendage was loosened, he sighed ruefully, flexing his fingers. “That’s definitely Yuu,” he affirmed dryly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Kanda snapped.

“Nothing….nothing!”

Kanda stared silently at the brunet before a curl meandered onto his pale lips. He fought back the urge to smile, but couldn’t suppress the slight chuckle that passed his lips as he watched the brunet with a subtle affection shining in his dark eyes.

“We were like this back then too, weren’t we?” Alma stated, as though able to read his thoughts. The brunet let out a soft breath, his smiling gaze growing distant. “We’d bicker and fight and laugh together, even though things were like that back then…”

“Yeah,” Kanda concurred, his gaze not moving away from the brunet.

“I’m sorry things had to go the way they did,” Alma apologized. “I would have loved to go on living with you, but that just wasn’t possible.”

“Don’t apologize, idiot…” Kanda muttered, the faint smile slipping from his features.

Sitting up in a cross-legged position, Alma smiled. “No - I should,” he contradicted. “But then again, if I had lived, it wouldn’t be fair to you.”

Kanda’s eyes narrowed, but he spoke not a word, urging the brunet to continue speaking.

“I don’t love you just because we’re the reincarnations of lovers, Yuu - I love you for myself too. But you… The only thing that ties you to me other than the fact that we’re lovers is that we’re best friends. As your previous life, you love me. But as Yuu…you love someone else.”

“Don’t give me that!” Kanda retorted sharply.

Alma clasped his hands around Kanda’s own, squeezing them gently and staring him in the eyes. “Then say it, Yuu. If you love me, you can tell me,” he stated seriously.

“I…” Kanda drifted off. His mouth was left partially opened, but no sound elicited from his lips. His dark eyes narrowed. “I…” His mouth snapped shut and his teeth gritted in aggravation. Why couldn’t he say it? It was a mere three words, and to the one that he loved, no less.

“You can’t say it,” Alma repeated once again. “No matter how much you try, you won’t be able to say it, because in that context, it isn’t true.”

Within the hold of Alma’s hands, Kanda’s own clenched into tight fists as he lowered his head, his fringe shadowing his eyes. The brunet watched him calmly, not relinquishing his hold on the long-haired exorcist’s hands.

“You know it too, don’t you?” he murmured softly. “It’s never really been me, or even ‘that person’.”

Kanda’s forehead met their hands as he remained rigid with the guilt-ridden realization that Alma’s words were indeed the truth, as little as he wished to admit it. He could feel the brunet release his hands and move to hold his head by either cheek, lifting it so their eyes met.

“It’s all right, Yuu,” his fellow second exorcist reassured with a smile, leaning forward so that their foreheads met. “It’s all right. You still have your life ahead of you--”

The brunet suddenly tensed, scrambling onto his feet and staring up at the sky with slightly narrowed eyes. Kanda watched him with a prominent frown embedded upon his lips. Alma stood still, as though waiting for something.

When his gaze next met that of the brunet, he tensed at the sudden expression of harshness that he had not been acquainted with for a while now. He stood on his feet and stared at Alma, a hint of question within his dark gaze.

“Yuu, you have to get back,” Alma informed, his voice strained. “You have to get back or you really will lose everything.”

Memories of the detrimental events that had transpired prior to his meeting with Alma swarmed his mind and he tensed. “What’s going on?”

“He’s here. He’s here and he’s joined the battle. Yuu, he’s not a destroyer that saves - he’s a destroyer in need of a saviour.” The familiar phrase froze in Kanda’s mind. His gaze grew blank for a moment as the information registered in his mind.

“Moyashi?” he ventured incredulously.

A slight indication of amusement at the nickname slipped into Alma’s gaze, but the brunet was swift to banish it. “Yes - he’s part of the battle now, but he’s not with the Noah or the exorcists.”

“What do you mean?”

“That Noah in him has been suppressed and his memories have taken over his body. If no one stops him, we’ll end up with another replay of thirty-five years ago, and the war will only continue as it is. Yuu, he’s already murdered so many of your comrades - you have to stop him.”

“...the usagi and Lenalee,” Kanda almost immediately interjected tersely. Alma smiled with faint reassurance.

“They’re all right. The Supervisor has recalled all the exorcists and the Noah are about to engage with the 14th.” Kanda relaxed, his hands moving to Mugen’s hilt.

“Then I’m going now.”

“Be careful, Yuu,” Alma warned. “If you act without resolve, you’ll end up hurting yourself more so than your enemy. Be his saviour, Yuu. You’ve realized it by now, right?” The raven frowned and nodded slowly. Alma’s features softened into a smile. “That’s good. Now go push past your grumpy personality before you lose everything, Yuu,” he teased gently.

“Shut up, idiot,” Kanda retaliated brusquely.

Alma laughed. “I love you too, Yuu,” he sang playfully, throwing his arms around the long-haired second exorcist. Grudgingly, Kanda moved to wrap his own arms around the brunet, returning his embrace. Alma sighed and smiled. “Good bye for now, Yuu,” he bid softly. “I hope I won’t have to see you again for a long while.”

“Watch your words…Alma,” Kanda reprimanded affectionately, causing a quiet bark of laughter to escape from the second exorcist’s lips.

“I love you, Yuu…”

The words lingered even as his surroundings faded, ringing in his ears long after the sunny field and his best friend had been reduced to nothing but blackness.

“Yeah…” he responded, feeling a sense of repetition for some unknown reason. He closed his eyes, and allowed his consciousness to fade from the land of repose that Alma watched him from. The thought brought him some form of comfort, despite the knowledge that he would be returning to a conflict-torn land.

* * *

Allen hadn’t the slightest idea of just what was going on, but the trepidation that flooded over his body alluded to the fact that it couldn’t possibly be anything good. He hadn’t heard from Neah in a long while, or anyone else, really, and that left him alone and confined to this stupid fancy chair.

He didn’t understand just why he could not escape. He wasn’t even sure how exactly he had ‘bound himself’ to this either. He would never wittingly do anything that bestowed the upper hand to the Noah. He frowned. It must have been something that he had unconsciously done.

His senses were abruptly thrown from his thoughts as an anguished cry tore through the darkness of his body’s psyche. His body abruptly tensed. That voice… He had only heard it a few times, but that was sufficient enough for it to be established firmly within his mind.

“Neah?” He called out, despite not being able to see the Noah anywhere within his sight range. The silence that met his ears was laden with disquiet. He tugged at the chains in irritation, but they refused to loosen. “Neah!” he called once again, his eyes narrowing in apprehension.

He needed to escape. Whatever was going on was not good, and somewhere in his gut, he assumed that his absence would result in a drastic change for the worse. His eyes widened. If whatever had transpired resulted in the injury of any of his friends, he would never be able to forgive himself.

His jaw tightened. It didn’t matter any longer; he didn’t care what happened to him. If the exorcists wanted to brand him a traitor because of Neah, then they could. If the Noah wanted to kill him for being an exorcist, they could. He just… He couldn’t allow anything to harm his friends.

As the resolve pierced his mind violently, he yanked at the chains. To his everlasting surprise, they rusted and snapped with ease, leaving him seated and staring stupidly at the fallen links of metal. His mouth opened, and for the first few moments, no sound passed his lips.

“Eh-- Ehhhhh?!” Jumping to his feet, he yelped as his legs gave in on him, sending him tumbling towards the ground. He turned back and glared at his legs. “Why’d you have to fall asleep now?!” he complained indignantly.

Truthful to his vexed exclamation, his legs had lost all sensation from being confined to the throne for such a long period of time without being able to budge even the slightest bit. Allen frowned in faint annoyance as he fell down once again upon attempting to stand.

Sighing, he laid on his stomach until he felt blood return to his legs, giving them feeling once again. Pushing himself to his feet, he ran from the throne where he had previously been imprisoned upon, his eyes scanning the darkness for the 14th Noah.

“Neah?” he called, his silver gaze darkening slightly. Noah or not, that cry had sounded so devastated, Allen couldn’t help but assume that the worst either had, or was going to occur. Straining to penetrate the thick darkness, he continued to walk.

“Neah!” He frowned as his call was not given any response. Could the Noah not hear him? He  sighed and continued to step through the expanse.

“A...llen…”

Spinning around, Allen ran for the source of the faint voice, following his instinct more so that his sight as he searched for the Noah of destruction. Gradually, his eyes grew more accustomed to the thick darkness, and he began to decipher silhouettes of what seemed to be a barren land around him.

His gaze fell upon the body that stood rigid in the centre of his vision, head tilted back and golden gaze flashing in what seemed to be unadulterated pain. It was difficult to see much more, but from what Allen could barely register, it was clear that whatever had occurred in his absence had led to something unspeakably dire.

“Neah!” he exclaimed, his footsteps carrying him to the Noah. Setting his hands on the male, he shook his body firmly, but not roughly. “What happened? What’s going on? Neah!”

The Noah’s amber gaze drifted over to him, and to his shock, the sight of guilt and desperation flowed clear within his eyes. A tension fell between them as they stared silently at each other before Allen noted just what it was that potentially caused Neah such grief.

The veins over his body protruded sharply from his dark skin in a ghastly display, pulsing angrily under Allen’s hands. The sensation caused the white-haired exorcist to release Noah in shock of the malice that he had experienced from mere contact.

“Help me, Allen--!” Neah pleaded, his jaw clenching as his veins grew more pronounced, provoking a shudder to run through his figure.

“What happened?” Allen inquired tersely, his gaze transfixed upon the horrifying scene with a macabre intrigue. It struck him just how helpless the Noah seemed, despite being the acclaimed 14th who had killed off all but two of his family.

“It’s taken over again… I can’t stop it!” Neah hissed between gritted teeth, his hands stiffly reaching for his head. “I thought I could control it… I thought I finally overpowered it, but--”

“Control what? What’s taken over?” Allen interrupted, his gaze serious as his left arm lifted itself to cover his chest in a defensive motion. It was clear that something was seriously wrong with the 14th, and he wouldn’t risk anything at the moment.

“Noah’s memories,” Neah responded promptly, his voice tight with bitterness. “Noah’s destruction--!”

His eyes widened and his mouth snapped shut as he resisted another cry of pain that pressed at his lips. Allen stared at him, stance tense.

“How can the memories take over you?” he breathed out, the barest hint of alarm creeping unbidden into his voice.

“Wrath has always been the most vehement of Noah’s memories, but Destruction is the most powerful…” Neah hissed out, his voice clearly pained. “If it consumes the body of its host, it becomes a force of devastation that takes no sides and exterminates anything and anyone with no guilt.”

Allen’s hands clenched into fists as he cast a glance around at his surroundings. “What’s going on out there?” he questioned, his voice taut with trepidation.

“It’s a battle between the Noah and the exorcists,” Neah responded, his tone growing more distant as his gaze flashed brightly in the darkness, directed hauntedly at the ground. “Allen - help me, please!” Neah supplicated. “I don’t know who I’ve killed - the last I remember is fighting that man who was always monitoring you…”

“Link!” Allen exclaimed, his eyes widening. “Is he all right? You didn’t do anything to him, did you…?” Allen’s jaw clenched as his silver eyes narrowed. “If you killed him, I’ll never forgive you…”

“I…tore his arm off,” Neah admitted, his voice growing hoarse. No hint of remorse was within his tone for all the anguish that had been displayed by it. Even Allen could not bring himself to strike out at the Noah for what he had confessed.

“How do I get out of here?” he inquired urgently. “I need to get out and stop you…me…it - whatever is doing this,” he articulated.

“I don’t know--!” Neah gasped, his hands gripping at his head as the pulse within his veins grew overwhelmingly powerful. “But just…find some way to stop this!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I...have so much to say that I can't say anything at all -.- Poor everyone. And Alma is adorable.


	14. Inhuman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm sorry for this -.- I'm really sorry - I can't write battle scenes to save my life, but I tried... It's still exceptionally bad though. Seriously. I'm sorry...  
> Anyway, thank you all so much for your very encouraging comments and support~  
> Just how strong is the 14th? It shouldn't be so hard when you're fighting seven against one, right...?  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

“Why the hostile tone, dear family?” the 14th questioned sibilantly, his eyes narrowed with sadistic glee that spoke of savage cruelty. It was enough to cause the less matured of the Noah, namely the twins, to take a few strides back in face of the pressurizing ruthlessness.

Tyki’s vaguely narrowed eyes drifted over to the Headquarters. His eyes caught sight of the exorcists that had been recalled to the stronghold. A sigh passed his lips as he allowed his teezes out of his body, both standard and advanced.

“Supervisor, stay back,” he instructed. “This is our battle - not yours.”

The Noah glanced around at his fellow family, a frown marring his lips. “Mightra - go alert Duke Millennium immediately. Tryde, what’s his state?”

“That is not the 14th,” the taciturn Noah stated simply.

“Fiddler, Mercym. Attack him. Sheril, try to hold him back as well as you can.”

The three Noah nodded in accordance to his words and carried out what had been commanded them. Loosing his teezes, he allowed them to join in the skirmish between the two Noah that had begun to advance.

From his distance in the sky with Road, Sheril focused his manipulation upon the rampaging 14th, struggling to restrict the white-haired destroyer’s movement while ensuring that Road could not fly down and act irrationally.

The 14th had gone mad; that was easy enough to see. What they would soon set out to put an end to was not the man known as Neah, but the Noah of destruction. There was no remorse that they could allow themselves to feel as long as they could put an end to this unforeseen turn of events.

“I knew he would do this again,” Devit hissed in ire.

“It was only a matter of time,” Jasdero agreed, his arms crossing over his chest.

“If it passed your heads, this is not him,” Tyki stated bluntly before heading for the melee himself. “Now hurry and join us before we all die. Lulu, you move as you see fit - we must stop him.”

The woman nodded, her arm extending and narrowing an extending into a long whip which was lashed towards the white-haired 14th.

The twins were less eager to take on their task, watching the skirmish with faint repulsion. “Do we have to?” they complained.

With a sigh, Sheril moved the two so that their revolvers were aimed at each other’s skulls. “Yes you do,” he stated simply.

“Ugh...fine.”

The gunshots rang through the air as Jasdevi merged into re-existence. The long-haired Noah smirked and dashed for the 14th, hair flaring out on either side of him.

The grin of the Noah of bonds screamed sadistic glee as his hair easily wove through the other Noah to run through body of the 14th.

The white-haired creature whirled around, abruptly yanking the hair from where it had penetrated  his midriff and wrenched it powerfully, pulling the long-haired Noah from his feet. Immediately, the hair slipped from his grip only to wrap around his neck.

Lulu Bell’s whip then wrapped around his wrist, which the woman tugged abruptly, shifting his centre of gravity sharply and causing him to stumble. The movement caused Jasdevi’s hair to tighten around his neck, his mouth opening slightly in attempts to draw in breath.

Taking advantage of the opening, a parasite falling from his tongue and into the partially parted lips of the 14th. However, before it could slip down his throat, it was demolished by a sharp snap of his jaw, bisecting the eyeball-like creature.

Shifting, the white-haired creature grasped the hair around his neck, pulling at it and snapping it off with sheer strength, tugging taut the whip of the Noah of lust.

The tresses that drifted to the ground immediately grew stiff and moved, running through his body at whichever angle was possible. A hiss of irritation passed the 14th’s lips, but was quickly cut off as one of Mercym’s fists sent him flying back.

Digging his feet into the bloodied earth, he stared at the six Noah who were advancing on his battered body, their eyes emotionless; even the ones who rarely hid their sentiments wore inscrutable expressions. Slowly, he moved back to his feet, motioning to his body, bleeding from the multiple wounds that had been inflicted upon him.

“Isn’t it ecstasy?” he purred his tongue flicking out to taste the red liquid from his wrist. “The sensation of drawing blood is bliss.”

Dodging the beams of energy that were fired at him from Tyki’s advanced teezes, he swiftly stole behind Lulu Bell, who whirled around, her whip moving to entrap his body.

“Ah… good night,  _sister,"_ he crooned, his hand sweeping towards her with a deadly grace. As her whip entrapped his body, his hand contacted the base of her skull, cracking it and flinging her to the side.

The ground promptly broke to cushion the body of the fallen Noah of lust. Sheril drew her back and suspended her limp figure at his side, his eyes narrowing at the 14th.

“Who next?” the white-haired beast murmured sibilantly, his eyes drifting to the remaining five Noah as he continued to evade the beams of energy and bombs courtesy of Jasdevi and the teezes.

Before he could assault one of the five remaining Noah, darkness encased his vision as spikes of iron drove through his body. His golden eyes widened before narrowing, a smirk stealing over his dark features. Remaining stationary for a few moments, he revelled in the pain running through his body.

“Ah, this is hardly fair,” he mock-complained. “I must return the favour.”

Moving one arm, he gripped one iron spike that protruded from the wall of the confines, and abruptly twisted his wrist, wrenching the spike from the device. Brandishing the weapon, he slashed through the prison of iron with ease, a manic grin spread over his features.

“You next,” he decided, launching at the red-cloaked Noah. As his hand moved to tear through Jasdevi’s flesh, it slammed into a shield. A sigh left his lips as he swung back, dodging a blow from Mercym and swinging his leg back to contact that of the Noah of pity and break it.

With a crazed laugh, the 14th proceeded to reach down and tear into the broken appendage, ripping it apart by each string of muscle and stepping on the fallen Noah’s back, crushing his ribs against his organs. “Two,” he sighed blissfully, stepping off the still body.

Sheril’s tense figure retrieved the Noah of pity as well, his amber eyes surveying the scene grimly as he held on to the two with his ability whilst keeping Road constrained despite the irrepressible tears that flowed down her young face.

Tyki’s eyes narrowed as he ran towards the white-haired 14th. His eyes sighted a matching pair catching his movements. As a brutal hand, dripping with blood, launched itself at him, he allowed it to pass through his body before turning abruptly and rupturing the first organ his fingers enclosed upon.

A harsh cough left the umber lips of the 14th as blood spewed from his mouth to stain the ground. His eyes narrowed as his body doubled over onto the blood-soaked ground, remaining still despite the energy beams that cut through his already torn and thoroughly blood-covered body. Even his  once pristine white hair had stained red with the life fluid he had spilled.

His gaze drifted back to the one that had attacked him, an unhinged grin still spread over his features as he pushed himself to his feet and moved with an almost blinding speed. “Farewell, Joyd,” he hissed into the taller male’s ear, his nails digging through fabric, skin and flesh..

Unable to utilize his Choose quickly enough Tyki could only stand helplessly as fingers gasped his heart in the same fashion that he had done with so many of his own victims. The light left his amber eyes even before the organ was ruptured inside of him.

The 14th chuckled and set a foot upon his neck, crushing it into the ground before lifting his body and throwing it at the remaining four Noah. His eyes remained narrowed and his smile was retained upon bloodied lips which his tongue snaked out to clean.

“Our dear  _family_ is falling apart piece by piece,” he declared sibilantly. “I will destroy it all.”

“Yeah, yeah - huge villain announcement and stuff…” Three pairs of amber eyes drifted over to the red-clad Noah of bonds, who was inspecting his nails almost boredly. Buffing them against the chest of his clothing, he glanced back up at the white-haired destroyer. “You done yet? If I cry over everyone now, it’ll mess with my vision and my mascara will run,” he informed, his tone almost mockingly frank.

The eyes of the 14th Noah stared almost blankly at Jasdevi for a few moments, as if attempting to register what had been stated multiple times through his mind. The air practically crackled as the merged twins lowered their hand and snorted.

“You haven’t even landed a single blow on us,” he taunted, his head tilting slightly as his hair flared out, blocking the two other Noah that remained wordlessly at his side from the range of the rampaging 14th. “What makes you think you’ll get away with this?”

“...” Without responding verbally, The 14th ran towards him. Grabbing him by his lock gold and black locks, he wrenched the Noah forward sharply before hurling him gracelessly towards where Sheril remained in the air with Road and the other two lifeless Noah.

The force of the throw caused the merged Noah of bonds to collide with the brother of the most recently killed Pleasure, causing him to relinquish his grip on all whom he had previously held out of the reach of the 14th. The five landed gracelessly upon the reddened earthen ground, Sheril cushioning the fall of the twins.

Immediately, Road ran for the blood-soaked form of the 14th, throwing her arms around his neck in a near desperate movement and staring despairingly into his amber eyes.

“Allen! Allen - I know you’re there… Stop this! Stop it! Stop…” Her words were abruptly cut off by a sob as she sighted nothing but murderous intent within the golden eyes of the Noah of destruction. Her head fell against his chest as she disregarded the blood that seeped into her dark blue tresses.

“Why are you doing this again… Allen!” the name left her lips as a howl of anguish.

Staring down at her, the white-haired creature’s hand raised to bury itself in her hair in a movement that was almost gentle, did it not reek of evil intent.

“ _Road!"_ the unbecomingly high pitched scream of warning resounded through the air from the lips of the Noah of desire. With a smirk, the 14th’s eyes fixed upon the man as he ran his hand through her bluish-black locks. A chuckle elicited from his lips.

“Too late,” he whispered, his hand abruptly clenching into a fist.

The shocked expression on the first disciple’s face did not remain for long as her skull was shattered by the destructive power in his grip, her golden eyes falling from their sockets and her brain rupturing into distasteful residue which splattered upon his arm the movement was so brutal that it had wrenched what had been her head from her neck entirely, decapitating her.

Dropping her headless figure upon the ground, he balanced one foot upon it, lifting his hand, shorn with blood, strings of the organ, bone fragments, and dark hairs tauntingly into the air, his gaze still directed at Sheril. “Oh, Father dear, you could not protect your daughter,” he mocked, voice heightening into a falsetto.

“You..!!” Rage boiled in the eyes of the Noah of desire as he lifted his own hand, pulling Road’s body into his arms. Holding her with one, he reached out for Neah with the other, malice clear in his gaze as he abruptly pulled the 14th towards himself. “I’ll kill you..” he hissed, his eyes shining with mad grief.

“Such is the familial bond,” the white-haired creature sneered. “That never existed in the first place.” Pulling himself from the grip of the Noah of desires, he smirked at the brother of Pleasure. “Desires, Desires, Desires,” he chanted the Noah’s name like a mantra. “I will show you my desires unlike you’ve ever experienced,” he assured threat laced in his voice.

“Your beloved daughter is gone, as is your dear brother. The rest of your family will join you soon, Desires,” he murmured into the ear of the long-haired male who had frozen in his grip. Road had fallen to the ground at some point during the one-sided exchange as his amber eyes stared, transfixed, at the monster before him.

Leaning forward, the 14th’s teeth buried themselves within umber skin, breaking it and causing blood to flow into his mouth. Jerking his head back in a brusque movement, tearing a strip of skin from the Noah’s body. Pinning him to the ground, a hand wrapped around his neck, the white-haired creature relished in the agonized cries that evoked from the helpless Noah’s lips as he flayed him alive with no hesitation in his movements.

“These are my desires,” he hissed, even as he dug his nails into the glistening red flesh of the Noah. “This is the destruction that Noah desires.”

His body stiffened as a pain ripped through his back. His eyes drifted down to see a large blade buried within his chest, before glancing back to find himself staring into the narrowed, expressionless eyes of the judge of the Noah.

Standing, he pulled the sword from his body and stared at the red liquid that dripped down it. Flicking his tongue out, he licked some of the fluid from the weapon, his smirk returning to his features. A laugh passed his lips as he tossed the weapon back to its wielder.

“You won’t kill me just like that,” he stated simply. “I’d be long dead if you could.”

True to his words, the wounds that should have been dire enough to hamper his movement  seemed to do little to hinder him. Without a sound, the unruly-haired Noah moved away from him, sword at the ready in case he attacked.

The gaze of the 14th drifted down to the Noah of desire, who stared blankly up at him. Regarding him well incapacitated, the white-haired destroyer stepped away from the body and towards the silent judge of Noah.

His veins protruded through his skin over the entirety of his body as the wound that had been created by Tryde no longer bled in crimson, but a sinister dark purple. His gaze darkened and his smile grew sickeningly sweet as he reached up to the wound, capturing some of the purplish substance that flowed like blood from his body.

“I’ve stinted myself enough,” he announced, a shiver running down his back as a chuckle passed his lips. “I’ve waited for so long - I’ve waited for nearly seven thousand years to manifest….finally!”

His head tilted back as his gaze fixated the sky, narrowed in elation. “Noah! Father!” he cried out emphatically, the veins at his body rupturing and more of the dark substance spilling viscously instead of the blood that would have been expected. The dark matter began to flow from his eye sockets, ears and mouth as a demented smile spread over his lips. “Watch! I will destroy this wicked world for you!”

* * *

“Maybe I hit your head too hard…” Wisely sighed, watching over the still body of the second exorcist. The cries in the distance had quieted somewhat, but the stench of blood that wafted through the atmosphere was heavy, even to the Noah who had retreated to the forest.

In his mind, he realized that the one he had awaited for had arrived. He sighed, but made no move to return to the battlefield, instead opting to wait until the long-haired exorcist regenerated his brain. Hopefully it wouldn’t take much longer - the turn of events that he had expected would not be pleasant in the slightest.

His thoughts were rarely imprecise, and if the events proceeded as expected, the results would be immense destruction. He rested his cheek against his hand which was propped up by the elbow upon one of his crossed legs as he stared at the raven.

Despite not revealing anything through his features, he felt a twinge of desperation within his chest. Perhaps he had indeed unintentionally ended the exorcist? That was a disastrous move. His lips curled into a frown.

As a weight landed on his shoulder, he started, his head flying to stare at the golden golem that had alighted upon his shoulder. He relaxed and puffed out a slightly exasperated sigh. “Little beast - you almost gave me a heart attack,” he stated in a monotone, flicking the creature between the horns.

In response, Timcanpy opened his mouth and lodged his teeth into the ear of the Noah of wisdom, causing Wisely to jump slightly once again and tug at his tail sharply in attempts to pull him off. “Let go of me…!” he yelped gracelessly.

After a moment’s hesitation, the golem obeyed, lifting from his shoulder and lowering to the ground in front of him. He glared half-heartedly at the creature, poking it sharply. “Troublesome thing,” he snapped lazily.

Timcanpy’s mouth abruptly snapped open and bit Wisely’s finger, causing a few small beads of blood to gather where his serrated teeth had broken skin. The white-haired Noah shook his hand, shaking the golem along with it until he released the digit.

“What do you want?” he inquired, resting his chin upon his hand once again and staring down at the creature, with an aloof expression plastered inadequately over his dark features.

In response, Timcanpy opened his mouth to display a projection of the events that had occurred upon the battlefield. The Noah of wisdom watched with a mild interest in his gaze and a neutral frown upon his lips, his chin not leaving where it was cushioned against his palm.

“So it’s begun,” he stated. Timcanpy allowed his mouth to close and nodded at the white-haired Noah. Wisely sighed. “I guess the Earl should show up soon.” His face remained as withdrawn as usual as he stared down at the golden, spherical creature on the ground.

His indifferent eyes began to pool with tears that spilled down his cheeks, and he reached up to wipe them away, regardless of the pointlessness of the action. Another sigh passed his lips and he ran his hand through his partially bloodstained locks, tugging at clumps of hair that had adhered to each other by cause of coagulated blood.

His gaze drifted up to the darkening sky, obscured by clouds, his frown deepening slightly. “Hurry up and wake up, exorcist,” he muttered under his breath, his gaze drifting down to Kanda’s body but his head not lowering from where it was tilted back to face the heavens.

Timcanpy padded over to where Kanda lay, sitting himself down before the raven’s vacant, pale eyes. Opening his mouth, he grabbed a section of the second exorcist’s fringe, and chewing on it impatiently.

The silence that progressed between the three figures was nothing short of odd, Wisely couldn’t help but think: A Noah, a seemingly dead exorcist, and a golem in the same clearing while battle raged outside of the forest that acted as a temporary shield for them.

He would have laughed at the curiosity of the scene, but that was a trivial task, and he would much rather not. Besides - if he were to place a decent excuse on it, the situation at hand was no laughing matter. A sigh passed his lips as he surveyed the darkening sky that seemed to reflect the ground that had been washed in crimson.

Kanda’s dull eyes slowly began to darken once again as life flooded into them. He blinked, his vision trying to focus on that annoyingly yellow thing that was in front of him…what was it? He blinked a few more times before catching sight of his fringe in Timcanpy’s mouth.

“Why you..?!” Immediately, he shot up, his sword poking at the golden golem that he had not seen in a long while. The speed in which he had moved caused a dizziness to flood his mind, causing his body to sway. Nearly falling back onto the ground, he reached down to steady himself.

Releasing his fringe, Timcanpy fluttered around his head in impatient circles, headbutting him every so often causing a groan to elicit from the pale lips of the second exorcist. Rubbing his head irritatedly, he scanned the clearing.

His eyes fell upon the white-haired Noah who was staring indifferently at him. A tick of irritation popped at his forehead as he brandished his sword precariously close to the Noah’s face. “Where the hell are we, you bastard?”

“That’s rude,” Wisely complained distantly, moving to push Mugen away from his face. “You just got back from the dead - you shouldn’t be moving around like that for a minute or two.”

“You’re the cause of it, just in case you forgot,” Kanda snapped, as always, never in the best of moods.

Wisely shrugged. “Well you wouldn’t have followed me if I asked you politely,” he countered languidly. “So I had to use force, and I think I sprained a muscle,” he complained dryly, flexing his arm.

“I’ll cut you again,” Kanda hissed between gritted teeth.

Raising his hands placatingly, Wisely lowered his head slightly to divert the wrath of the exorcist. “It’s not me you need to point that thing at,” he informed in a frank tone.

“I know,” Kanda stated, lowering his sword and standing, a grim expression on his features. “I’m heading back for the battlefield.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I'm really sorry about this chapter... -.- And where is that Earl...?


	15. Wither

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to chapter 15, lovely readers ^.^ Yes, it's rushed. Yes, I tried to avoid long battle scenes. Yes, Destruction is one of those overpowered villains. Yes I'm sorry that I'm bad at this ^.^"   
> Stuff happens. Destruction grows more prevalent. People are crazy. Yeah.  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

Within the Black Ark of the Noah, the Earl stared at his messenger, who stood silently before him, awaiting a response. His gaze, hidden behind thick glasses characteristic of his burlesque caricature glinted with disbelief.

“Neah - my Neah has gone mad? My Neah?” he repeated his gaze fixed on the thirteenth disciple of Noah, who merely nodded in silent response. 

“Why? Why is he doing this? Why is he turning against me again?” the Earl rambled, his voice no longer directed towards the representative of Noah’s ability, but towards himself as he chanted the 14th’s name, a hint of madness present in his voice.

“My Neah, My Neah is leaving again - I won’t let my Neah leave, My Neah… Mana’s Neah!” The Earl keened, bursting from the doors of his room, Lero forgotten and tossed to the striped-bodysuit wearing Noah. 

“Mana’s Neah!” the Earl howled once again, anger clear in his normally comical, sinister pleasant voice. “Mana’s Neah,” he rasped, storming down the hall and setting a hand on one of the many doors lining it. “Curse you, Mana! It’s because of you this happened!”

Mightra’s head lowered to face the pink parasol in his grip, who shook in what seemed to be fear.

“He’s gone mad, Lero! Why’d you have to say that, Lero?” 

Silently, the Noah tossed the parasol against the wall and followed the Earl out of the room, leaning against the doorpost of the exit that the Earl had opted to leave from and watching the scene below without a word.

* * *

As the clouded sky crackled with dark matter, the body of the 14th had become swallowed by the substance. It swarmed over his body and remained intact like a baleful exoskeleton, preventing any and all from seeing the body of the white-haired boy that was beneath it.

Taking no form but that of a vaguely human shape, the dark matter remained fluid, yet maintained its configuration. Where the eyes would have been remained black eye sockets, and replacing the mouth was a terrifying, gaping grin that exuded menace.

As the atmosphere grew inexplicably heavier, the creature glanced up at the sky, its grin widening at the sight of the Millennium Earl. Immediately, the Noah that had not been mutilated, murdered, or both cleared the vanguard as the Earl alighted on the ground.

“ _ Adam _ ,” the monstrosity rasped, its voice having transitioned into a painful gravelly tone that ached the auditory perception of those who heard it. “ _ Adam, father of our father, Noah _ ,  _ and our creator - your time is over.”  _

The eyes of the Millennium Earl narrowed derangedly as the sight of the fallen Noah littering the ground, paying no heed to the corpses of the exorcists that were more in number and brutality. His amber gaze narrowed as they began to shine prominently with a malicious glow. His hands gathered masses of the dark matter to them as he stood facing the 14th, anger clear in everything from his permanent grin to his stance.

“My family! What have you done to my family, Mana’s Neah?” he howled. “Curse you!”

Rationality disappearing from his figure, he drew back one of the spheres of the dark energy in his hand and threw it towards the dark purple figure. 

In response to the sloppy attack, the monstrosity merely allowed it to strike and be absorbed by the matter that swirled around his body. His toothless grin widened as his eye sockets narrowed at the enraged figure of the Earl.

“ _ The patriarch can’t fight fire with fire, Forefather Adam. Our abilities are vastly different, but our source is from the same dark matter.” _

In response, the Earl let out a cry of seething rage and blatantly threw himself upon the dark matter-encased 14th, wresting him to the ground with inhuman strength. Even the personification of destruction could not fight the sheer power that radiated from the Earl’s grip as it circled around the neck of the beast.

As the Earl moved to crush the creature’s neck, it’s form morphed and grew malleable within his grip. The frightening grin printed upon the deformed face was enough to induce nightmares. “ _ Forefather Adam~”  _ the monster chuckled raspily. “ _ You are Creation. I am Destruction. You will never beat me.” _

With his words, the dark matter that surrounded the 14th’s body began to seep into the ground, seeming endless in quantity as the creature merely laughed distortedly in the face of the smoldering Earl. The sky, already darkened with night grew darker as purple energy crackled above the remaining lives below.

“ _ I am Destruction itself,”  _ the mutation grated out harshly. “ _ I am omnipresent and indomitable. Even those that don’t know me have experienced my work for my father, Noah. I destroyed the earth seven thousand years ago, and I have come to eradicate all upon it again.” _

With those words followed the irrepressible shaking of the ground beneath them. A jagged crack flared through the island, crackling with the purple hue of dark matter as the land itself was bisected, cracking into two halves. The clouds began to swirl violently as the purple of tempest shone from within them, sparking with the familiar dark substance.

“ _ You will die along with your beloved family, Adam.”  _ the monstrosity laughed harshly, slipping from the Earl’s loosening grip. “ _ That is the will of our Father, Noah. _

The deranged grin spread wider upon the purple head, spreading to the point where it nearly seemed to split the face of the creature into two. Pulling back a fist, it hurled the clenched hand towards the Earl. Immediately, the Noah dodged with a surprising speed for someone of such great girth, and once again advanced upon the Earl, disregarding all forms of dark matter as that had proven to be useless against the monster.

Relying on his brute strength, the Adam of the Noah forcefully dug his gloves hands into the exoskeleton of the 14th, his grip empowered by the sheer anger that glittered vindictively in his features, contorted by utter fury at the beast.

The dark matter gave way under his grip, spreading over his arms and taunting him with gravelly laughter that seemed to emit from not only its gaping mouth, but anywhere where the viscous matter had spread. 

“If I have to die with my family then I’ll take you with me, Mana’s Neah!” the Earl cried remorselessly. The mocking laugh echoed through the air around them, but no words were spoken. 

The waters surrounding the island had riled up by reason of dark matter, and now crashed mercilessly against the cliff sides of the two halves of the island. Rising monstrously, the dark waters engulfed the Northern half of the island, completely devouring it in a destructive movement and dragging it down to the depths of the sea with ease.

The sky itself sang a cacophonous melody with lightning that struck downwards haphazardly. The powerful forks of electricity struck the  exorcists’ Headquarters, breaking through weak window and striking fabric curtain. Within a matter of minutes, the building was engulfed with flames.

Flimsy shadow signalled the escape of a minority of the exorcists out onto the open sea as the laugh of the creature resounded through all the devastation that was occurring at every side of him while slipping easily out of the Earl’s grasp, reducing his stamina drastically.

Standing a small distance away from the Earl, the monstrosity tilted its head at him. “ _ Forefather Adam, you must be losing your touch,”  _ he mocked. As a large, dark broadsword materialized itself within the Earl’s hand, the shell of dark matter cackled manically, running towards him. “ _ You aren’t even an obstacle for me - you are a puppet dancing to my strings, Adam.” _

The silence of the Earl as he flew at the overpowered creature, swinging the oversized weapon at him. The mass of dark matter ducked sharply, diving towards the Earl and wrapping around his weaponless arm, twining dark matter around it like a serpent about to strike.

Allowing his momentum to swing him around, the Earl forced a collision between his sword at the body of dark matter, which merely hardened at the contact, causing him to exert unneeded force upon the blade in attempts to crack the shell.

“ _ I have no weaknesses, Adam. You are merely a toy for me until I destroy you.” _

The Noah drew back his sword, his eyes fixated murderously upon the figure composed of dark matter as he internally cursed Mana for turning Neah into this monster. If it weren’t for Mana, Neah would have been his. But Neah was Mana’s Neah, and that had fabricated this creature.

“ _ And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die,”  _ the creature sneered in disdain. “ _ That destruction was the divine will. I am the divine will.” _

The serpent of dark matter slithered around the Earl’s neck, tightening viciously. The monstrosity chuckled at the Earl’s attempts to free himself, dark matter easily manipulated by his fingers yet still refusing to relinquish its grip.

“Curse you, Mana!” the Earl hissed, abruptly pulling his sword to the side and forcefully ramming it into the body of dark matter, the surprise causing the creature to release him as it stumbled back and near fell onto the ground which was beginning to crumble in itself.

Forcing the concentration of his weight into his foot, he pinned the shell down onto the ground and plunged the oversized blade downwards with a brute strength aided by vengeance and wrath. The movement forced even the seemingly impenetrable exoskeleton back, penetrating the armour of dark matter and piercing through the unconscious body of the 14th itself.

“Mana’s Neah will die!” the Earl hollered hoarsely, His gaze blank with rage-induced madness as he drew his sword from the monstrosity’s body only to lower it once again in a brutal movement with no remorse nor hesitation. “That is his sanction!”

* * *

Grabbing Timcanpy by the tail, Kanda dangled the golem before his face staring at it. “Go ahead and see what’s going on. Come back and let me know.”

Baring his teeth at the ill-mannered exorcist, the spherical creature snapped at his hand before pulling out of his grip and speedily dashing off before Kanda could catch him and inflict some other irritated insolence against him.

“You certainly have a way with words,” Wisely drawled lazily, his voice dripping with sarcasm. The exorcist glared back at him.

“I have no time for formalities now, Noah,” he snapped. 

“I can see,” the white-haired Noah responded, his eyes narrowing up at the crackling sky. “It’s begun.”

“What?”

“Look.” The Noah motioned for the purplish sky as lightning illuminated the clouds for a brief moment. The sight was followed by the shaking of the earth, and Kanda swiftly shifted as the crack ran through the forest before splitting apart entirely. His eyes drifted over to Wisely, who seemed just as collected as ever, save the slight tension of his stance.

“What is this?” he hissed, vaguely alarmed by the sudden changes in the atmosphere and the surrounding land. With the thick foliage blocking his vision from whatever else was transpiring, he could only listen to the desolation that reigned upon the island.

“It is the final work of Noah’s destruction,” the white-haired male responded simply, his voice barely betraying the apprehension he felt. However, even that slight transition did not skip the notice of the second exorcist.

Kanda stared at him in vague disbelief. What that Noah was expecting him to accept was the fact that the moyashi was the cause of all this carnage? His gaze narrowed. To think that he had once assumed the beansprout to be a resolute person - he could not even stop himself.

How on earth did Alma expect him to put a stop to this? He had not allowed himself much negative thought in the presence of the brunet, but now that he had his mind to himself, the realization fell upon him: he could not take on the title of saviour. He was not a saviour - merely a destroyer. That was what he had been created for, after all.

“You seem to have tangled yourself up in an interesting predicament,” Wisely stated almost monotonously. 

Kanda had also momentarily allowed the fact that the Noah of wisdom could read minds to slip his memory. He scowled at the white-haired male. “I never told you,” he barked.

The Noah shrugged passively and leaned back against the trunk of the tree, his head bowed slightly and his eyes closed. “If you aren’t going to figure out what you have to do and do it, then we’re all going to die so I’ll just enjoy myself by irritating you until then,” he stated in a frank tone.

A tick of annoyance appeared upon Kanda’s forehead as he drew Mugen from its sheath. “Don’t make me let you die earlier than anticipated,” he snarled irritably. 

“Calm down,” the Noah advised, lifting a hand up in a placating movement. 

“Che.”

Kanda frowned. He hadn’t the slightest idea what exactly the situation was like, other than the fact that Allen was the cause of all this ruination. If he didn’t know, then no one could expect him to formulate a plan that didn’t involve haphazardly leaping into the fray in a manner that could cost him his life.

Not that he wouldn’t do that regardless of the knowledge of the full situation or not. After all, sometimes he had little choice but to put everything on the line in a precarious gamble that determined whether he or another would live or die.

“Ah…we may need to run soon,” Wisely stated, one golden eye revealing itself to stare up at the dark sky. 

Following his gaze, Kanda’s eyes widened at the sight of the clouds parting, only for fist-sized drops of vibrant orange began to rain down from the heavens. He cast a glance at the surrounding forest, his eyes narrowing. 

Thoughtlessly, he hooked his fingers into the arm of the white-haired Noah, dragging him from the clearing before the fire fell upon the grass.

Within seconds, the clearing itself was incinerated, the flames licking up at the surrounding trees. Flicking greedily from branch to branch, it began to ignite the forest itself, causing Kanda’s pace to grow faster in his desperation to flee the dense foliage before they were burnt alive.

“Ow..!” Wisely complained, allowing the exorcist to drag him along. “What are you doing? That hurt, you know.”

“Do you want to die?” Kanda hissed back, sidestepping abruptly to the right as a burning branch fell down onto the ground where he had stood a few seconds earlier.

“Does it really matter?” the white-haired male droned, still following a little behind the long-haired exorcist. “I’m a Noah so you’ll probably try to kill me anyway, and even if you don’t, you definitely don’t have a plan or anything, so we’ll all die in the end.”

“If you have nothing of use to say, then shut up,” Kanda snapped, yanking the Noah out of harm’s way just as another blazing tree limb crashed down where Wisely has been.

Fleeing from the flames, Kanda hauled the Noah behind him until they reached the forest’s edge. Breaking through the shielding of undergrowth and brush, he dropped the Noah upon the ground, resulting in a petulant groan eliciting from the passive male’s lips.

Mere metres behind them, the entirety of the forest burst into violent flames that reached avariciously for the sparking purple sky that continued to shower down the destructive fire upon the barren land.

Almost promptly upon his stop at the edge of the field, his eyes widened in well-disguised horror at the sight of exorcists and Noah alike littering the bloodstained ground. His gaze narrowed as he bit the inside of his cheek to swallow the urge to retch that was clambering mercilessly up his throat.

“So this is what he’s done,” Wisely muttered, wiping his eyes which had begun to tear up once again. The motion was once again proven fruitless as the water created small rivulets upon either cheek as the uncontrollable tears made themselves known upon his otherwise detached features.

Kanda’s eyes drifted over to the centre of the field where two figures were engaged in combat. One, he recognized as the Millennium Earl, but the other, he could not say he had seen before. The figure seemed less human than the grotesque Earl himself, being nothing but a human-shaped mass of dark matter.

The two were locked in some sort of combat with their weapons, the force that was exuded by both surprising Kanda despite the fact that it should not have. His eyes narrowed.

At the sensation of being struck by something, he glanced down to sight Timcanpy flying around his body. Clucking his tongue in impatience, he grabbed the tail of the golem, stilling it. “What is this?” he questioned abruptly, his voice terse.

Timcanpy’s mouth immediately opened to reveal the projections that he had captured. With each statement and new revelation that was unveiled, Kanda felt his muscles growing more tense until he was wondering just when they would cramp.

“That… That  _ thing  _ is the moyashi?” he inquired incredulously. 

The nod that was the response he received from the golem seemed eminently sad to the point where Kanda felt the compulsion to try and console the creature somehow. Reaching forward, he briefly rubbed the head of the spherical golem before taking him and setting him upon Wisely’s leg.

“Take care of him,” he stated, his gaze drifting back to stare at the Earl and at the monster that was Allen Walker. Whether his statement was directed towards the Noah or to the golem, neither were certain, but both nodded anyway.

“You still don’t have a plan, exorcist. You’re not going to stand there for long without one.”

“I’ll think of one once I get there,” Kanda responded stiffly, turning his back to the Noah just as whatever patches of grass littered the crimson-washed field burst into flames. 

Slowly he strode for the skirmishing pair, making no move to draw Mugen, even as another stone of fire fell down behind him, barely missing his hair and blowing it violently to the side. He closed his eyes as he continued to walk, his thoughts drifting the Alma’s smiling face.

The brunet had said that he needed resolve for this. It was only clear that without it, he could not be able to complete his task. He needed to save the moyashi who, for all of his bravado, could not save himself despite being able to save others.

It was the one time where his existence would take on a new meaning, he realized, the hellish scenery around him not perturbing his meditations as he proceeded for the two, his hand drifting up to Mugen’s hilt. For once, he had no choice but to abandon the title of destroyer and allow himself to be crowned with the designation of saviour.

“Baka moyashi,” he whispered, a faint smirk curling onto his pale lips as he drew Mugen, stopping within a few feet of the two. Such an honorific did not suit him at all. It was a title that was meant for Allen - not him. Ironically, he was left with it, albeit he didn’t wish for it to be so. 

Neither of the two figures seemed to pay him any heed, he realized, as he drew Mugen. Drawing his fingers along the flat of the blade, he invoked his innocence with a resolute murmur. As Mugen began to shine, he caught sight of the two gazes, one of amber and the other of dark black, turn to stare at him.

“ _ Exorcist!”  _ the creature grated out, dark matter slipping from its shell and sliding towards the long-haired male’s direction. 

Kanda stared almost blankly at the purplish form of dark matter before his gaze drifted towards the Earl, for all his strength and power seeming as weak as any other, and half beaten to death. He lifted his silver blade to point it at the figure of the Earl.

“Back down,” he stated, his voice menacingly calm. “I refuse to let you touch him.”

“ _ Interesting,”  _ the body of dark matter cackled, a snake of dark matter oozing from its body to easily penetrate through the Earl’s skull and fling him away with a shocking ease. Kanda almost stopped short in shock, but managed to keep his composure upon the realization that this thing had no humanity within it.

He stood still, attempting to formulate some sort of plan, even as the tendrils of dark matter began to wrap around his legs, trailing up his body. He frowned deeply. Even if this monster was all he could sense on the outside, Allen was in there, he knew.

Opening his eyes, he fixed his dark gaze upon the wickedly grinning figure before taking a step closer to it. This seemed to deter the dark matter somewhat, as it was madness for anyone to draw closer to it without the intention of harming it.

For once, Kanda did not brandish his weapon before the face of his enemy, but instead kept it lowered passively as he continued to step forward and until he was mere inches away from the body of dark matter that had caused the destruction around him.

The fire had begun to fall precariously close to them, entrapping them within a ring of fire and preventing him from escaping - not that he intended to in the first place. He could feel the malicious dark matter crawling up his torso now, threatening to consume and corrupt him.

Quietly, he murmured under his breath, Mugen beginning to glow in his grasp. His gaze remained unmoved upon the grotesque figure before him.

Lifting his arms, he wrapped one around the body of dark matter, pulling it close to his own as his gaze barely softened. His right arm, grasping his sword, penetrated sharply through the body of dark matter and pierced through his own chest, protruding from his back with a mixture of malevolent purple and crimson. Sliding the sword hilt deep into the body and his own, he allowed his eyes to slide shut.

“Moyashi… Allen - come back to me…” 

Among the ruins of the Headquarters, the last pale pink petals of what had once been a perfect bloom shriveled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no....


	16. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 16, lovely readers. Only two more left to go~ Thank you for your support, as always~ ^.^ This chapter will allow us to see just why that small phrase is in the summary yay.  
> Saved by an unlikely hero...? Wait - what?  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

The sensation of the dark matter beneath his fingers repulsed him, but he refused to allow himself to release his hold on it. It was not his intention to destroy the creature. He was well aware that his meagre slivers of innocence could, at the most, break through the shell of dark matter and hopefully penetrate Allen’s body. 

Opening his eyes, he pulled his sword out of both himself and the creature, blood beginning to flow liberally from the wound that he had created in his chest. The monstrosity did not appear to be greatly affected by the movement, however, much to his dismay.

Stepping back, he lifted Mugen at the ready, his eyes narrowing despite the sudden dizziness that took over his body. As he watched, the purplish substance seemed to slide off the body of the white-haired exorcist, its gaping, black, facial features melting along with the remainder of it. 

“ _ Exorcist,”  _ the manifestation of destruction hissed as Allen’s body slowly revealed itself. The dark matter spilled off his body viscously, disgusting Kanda more that he’d have cared to admit. “ _ You’ve awoken my host so I’ll just make you my new one!” _

It took a few moments for the words to register in Kanda’s mind, but when it had, his body had already succumbed to the dark matter that crept upon himself like armour. His gaze drifted back to the white haired exorcist as Mugen fell to the ground and shattered brittlely under the influence of dark matter.

The last thing that registered in his conscious mind was the flash of silver, much like the moonlight, staring at him in shock.

* * *

As Allen’s gaze whirled around in the virtually impregnable darkness of his subconscious, Neah did not seem better off, the tormentous pulsating of Noah’s DNA within his veins causing him evident agony. Allen bit his lip until he tasted blood. There must be some way to get out of here…

Even with those thoughts in mind, a sharp pain lanced at his chest, nearly causing him to double over. Glancing down, he found a gash cut into his chest. Biting his inner cheek to stifle a gasp of pain, he glanced up at Neah, as if hoping the Noah could have an answer to the phenomenon. 

To his dismay, that did not seem to be the case. In actuality, the darkness that his eyes had begun to discern through had grown impenetrable. He could no longer see or sense Neah close to him, he realized. Shutting his eyes, he drew in a soft breath before opening them once again.

To his astonishment, he found himself standing in the midst of a pitifully lifeless field that he could not recognize by sight, but somehow still felt familiar to him. As his vision focused, the first thing to register within his mind was the horrifying scene in which Kanda was devoured by what seemed to be dark matter.

“Kan...da?” he whispered, not even registering the sight of the torn bodies that were strewn over the clearing. Instinctively, he backed away as the purplish matter swarmed over that of the second exorcist, covering him completely. 

A gaping wide, toothless grin manifested upon the head of the dark matter, leering maliciously at him. He shivered at the sight.

“ _ Welcome to the end, exorcist,”  _ the creature grated, causing Allen to wince at the sound. Finding no reason to question the situation any longer, Allen stepped back, invoking his innocence without even speaking a word. 

The familiar cape of Crown Clown materialized around his shoulders, as the silver mask manifested upon his face instead of where it normally hung at his shoulder blades. His lips curved into a frown as the sword of exorcism appeared in his grasp. 

The mask shadowed his eyes from sight as he leapt for the creature with the intent of stabbing it. However, before he had the chance to even make contact, a sinister dark purple fist met the ground, dark matter slipping from the arm of the body into the earth.

The ground promptly absorbed the fluid substance, crackling before abruptly ripping apart under Allen’s feet. An arm formed out of the rocky earth reached for him, gripping him tightly. He grimaced at the sensation as the grip of the hand threatened to crush his bones. 

Maneuvering his broadsword, he brought it into harsh contact with the hand, draining it of its dark matter. Almost immediately, it crumbled back to the gaping earth, causing him to fall from the air with a moderately undignified yelp. Stabbing the wall of the cliffside, he caught himself before he plunged into the gaping depression that had been created. 

Promptly, the creature jumped into the crevice and landed on the flat of his sword, grinning maliciously down at him. A serpentine form elongated from the monstrosity’s hand, stabbing through the mask of Crown Clown and seeping into his eye.

A cry of pain left his lips as he hung there, the dark matter burning his cursed eye, corrupting it and staining it in a malevolent black. Gritting his teeth, he caught himself and used his momentum to swing himself upward, pulling the sword from under the creature’s feet.

Unfortunately, the body of dark matter was not as quick to fall as he was, raising the ground once again and sealing it beneath their feet before attacking Allen with tendrils of the purplish fluid. Raising his sword as a means of defence, Allen destroyed the matter that was aimed at him.

Running forward once again, he swung the weapon at the manifestation of destruction, narrowly missing it as it slipped under his blade and slipped behind him. He tensed as an appendage of dark matter wrapped around his neck and hissed at the burning sensation.

It was eating his innocence, he realized, reaching for the dark matter and pulling at it with his parasitic left hand. More spears of pain lanced through his body as more of the appendages stabbed through him and began to devour his power.

A cry of pain passed his lips as he twisted in the grip of the creature. At the cost of his right arm, he tore through the matter that wrapped around it and swung his sword at the rest, effectively severing them. Whatever remained attached to his body dissolved and thinned, spilling down his form like water. 

“What did you do to Kanda?” he questioned tersely, holding the broadsword before him. 

“ _ The exorcist is dead,”  _ the creature cackled. “ _ I am making good use of his body.” _

The words caused Allen’s masked eyes to widen in shock and anger, the sword almost dropping from his grip. He closed his eyes and drew in a breath in attempts to regulate the adrenaline that ran through his veins, dissipating whatever pain he had felt.

Gritting his teeth, he threw himself at the creature swinging his sword once again. His words were barely audible as he hissed out, “Shut up.”

The gravelly laughter of the monster echoed through the near silent land save for the crackling of flames as it easily dodged the wide attack, slipping towards him and wrapping him in its appendages that grew from its main body. “ _ So you want to become my new toy, exorcist?” _

“Shut up!” Allen howled in an uncharacteristically discomposed action. His body seemed to grow quicker with the determination of his mind at the registration of what had happened to the long-haired male. It angered him more than he would have expected, his grip around his broadsword shaky with rage.

The raven had to be the reason for his regaining of consciousness, and as much as he hated to admit it, he owed Kanda for that. Now this...thing had taken over Kanda’s body and had clearly brought their setting to ruin - wherever they were. Allen did not have the time to gather in all the information around him.

Bringing his blade down, he severed the appendages that flew at him before dashing at the creature to hack through more, preferably that disgustingly nightmarish head. His body moved with a wrath he wasn’t even aware he had possessed.

That monster was using Kanda… Regardless of all the bickering they did and the fights they tangled themselves into, Allen had to admit that Kanda was a person he cared greatly for. He would not allow people like that to get hurt - especially not when he had the aptitude to prove that case evitable.

Leaping up, he took the sword in both hands and brought it forcefully down toward the beast. Immediately tendrils moved to create a shield, preventing him from reaching the main body. His jaw tightening, he concentrated every ounce of his strength into crushing the appendages.

To his dismay, every ounce did not seem to suffice, as the dark matter flung him back. His eyes narrowed beneath the silver mask, he skidded to a stop on the ground, eyes fixed solely on the creature. It merely grinned maliciously at him, black eye sockets narrowing in twisted amusement.

Allen once again found himself running towards the monstrosity. Its appendages flew at him with a blinding speed, stabbing through his arms and legs before fastening themselves to the ground. A hiss of pain passed his lips, but was abruptly cut off as a much larger tendril tore through his torso.

His eyes widened as he coughed, blood spilling from his lips and marring the whiteness of Crown Clown. Fixated to the spot by the dark matter that protruded from his body, Allen gasped in pain as it began to crawl over his body.

In his attempts to move, he found that he was not only pinned to ground, but rendered immobile by the dark matter that seemed to tear his very essence from his body and devour it with corrupt pleasure. He struggled against his own body in attempts to move and break the hold that the creature had on him.

His sword fell from his grip and landed upon the ground as his face contorted with pain. A rush of guilty ire ran through his veins as he remembered the sight of Kanda’s face directly prior to the acquisition of his body by the dark matter.

Kanda would no doubt mock him for being too weak, despite the fact that the raven was currently the one in the clutches of the depraved substance that somehow had a life of its own.

Allen bit back a screech as the solidified tendrils began to spike out within his body, tearing through his muscles, organs, and easily snapping whatever bone it could reach while still managing to reduce his innocence to nutrition for its own power.

Crown Clown had begun to disintegrate, leaving his narrowed grey eyes clear for the world to see, as a light of desperation shone within them. His fingers twitched slightly as he willed his body to just move and rid himself of these alien appendages of dark matter before they sealed his fate.

However, before he could, another figure crossed his vision, too unclear for him to see. His gaze did register the disappearance of his sword from beside his outstretched arm, and its reappearance in the grip of a figure he could not claim to recognize.

Long, wavy, black hair cascaded down the shoulder blades of the man, pulled into a loose ponytail. The sword hung in the grip of a familiarly dark, umber grip that seemed somewhat translucent. Allen, for the life of him, could not recognize the appearance, and yet, felt as though he knew the man.

“How many times must I plead with you to stop?” the man questioned softly, driving the sword blade down upon the malevolent purple appendages and sundered them to free Allen from their grip.

The white-haired exorcist scrambled up before grabbing his side in pain as his ribs dug into his body, causing him more harm than what had already been inflicted upon his being. A slight gasp elicited from his lips and he stilled to prevent himself from further injury.

“I’ve begged you…and yet, you won’t desist?” the man continued, his tone almost sad as he stepped towards the manifestation of destruction.

“ _ You!”  _ the creature hissed, leaping at the figure and forcefully pinning him to the ground. “ _ You were supposed to never come back! Why are you here? I’ll kill you this time - I’ll kill you!”  _ it grated harshly, tendrils of dark matter wrapping around the man’s neck.

Allen’s eyes widened at the familiar dark skin, amber eyes, characteristic of a Noah. He couldn’t say he realized this one, though. And that strange translucence…

“Stop this, Destruction,” the man requested gently, reaching up with one hand and laying the limb upon the forehead of the creature. “Noah’s will has never been this desolation.”

“ _ Shut up!”  _ the monstrosity hissed, appendages tightening around the man’s neck. “ _ What do you know of our Father’s will? I am his will! I won’t let you stop me this time!” _

The forlorn expression painting the man’s mild features caused Allen to wonder if he was mistaken in believing that it was a Noah. After all, despite having their human sides, the Noah were nothing short of sadistic when it came to battle.

“Desist,” the man urged once again, wincing slightly as he was only strangulated further. With a regretful sigh, the long-haired man lifted the sword and forcefully thrust it through the back of the dark matter. 

A piercing screech echoed through the otherwise silent land as the monstrosity began to deliquesce. Its horrifyingly gaping features melted from its head as it flowed down the blade and off the body of the second exorcist, leaving Kanda’s limp body hanging off the blade, the dark matter reduced to a mere puddle at his feet.

Standing, the man pulled the sword from Kanda’s body, catching him in one arm before slowly heading back to Allen, holding both the sword and the exorcist. Laying Kanda before Allen’s motionless figure, he retained his grip on the sword, watching the white-haired teen in silence.

Allen blinked, staring from Kanda to the man that seemed so familiar, yet was unrecognizable. A kindhearted smile spread over the gentle features of the man, causing Allen’s eyes to widen. Surely that wasn’t it--

Before he had a chance to react, another figure pulled itself from his body before stepping around Kanda and standing before the man, whose smile quickly dissipated. Allen’s eyes drifted from one translucent figure to the other. 

That man… Was it not for the length of his hair, he would have been a perfect replica of Neah himself. Allen opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it as Neah took the head of the other male into both of his hands, staring intently into his eyes.

For a few moments, silence filled the air between them as neither of the two spoke, merely staring at each other inscrutably. Finally, the long-haired of the two dropped the sword and laid his hands around Neah’s arms, wrapping around them in a tender gesture.

The gentlest smile that Allen had ever beheld stole over the features of the unnamed man as tears began to fall from his amber eyes in complete silence. The sudden reaction did not surprise him alone, he discovered, as Neah swiftly moved to wipe the tears from the umber cheeks of the man who was so identical to him.

“Neah…Neah…Neah…” the man repeated softly, the name upon his tongue sounding as though it was the only word he wished to speak for as long as his voice lasted. “Neah… You’ve…returned…”

The only response from the 14th Noah was the faint chuckle that was more affectionate than amused. “That’s my line… You’re the one that’s finally returned to me,” he responded, his gaze alluding to a faint grin. 

Allen could only look from one to the other, perplexed. However, the two did not seem to mind him, merely lost within the presences of each other. 

The arms of the long-haired man wrapped themselves around Neah, who was quick to return the loving embrace without any hint of hesitation. The unintroduced man still had tears dripping down his exquisite features, but they were, evidently, tears of joy.

The embrace endured for mere moments before the two pulled back slightly to meet each other’s gazes, both smiling. Neah lifted a hand once again to sweep away the tears upon the man’s cheeks. Laughter pressed at his lips as he breathed out a sigh of joy.

“I’ve waited so long to be with you again, Mana,” he murmured softly.

The words, despite their quietness, did not escape the perception of Allen’s ears. His eyes widened and his body stiffened in shock despite the pain that shot through his figure at the abrupt movement. For the span of a few moments, he stared blankly at the pair, unable to react.

“Mana?!” Allen exclaimed, jumping to his feet and ignoring the pain that flared through his body.

His golden eyes shifting to the white-haired boy, Mana smiled. “Allen,” he responded gently to the call of his adoptive son.

Allen stood still, his gaze wide and disbelieving as he stared at the man he had seen as a father figure so many years back. His mouth opened, but no words left them as he registered the fact that this was Mana; the one who he had turned into an akuma - the one that had cursed him.

“...how…” Allen whispered, confounded.

“I am the soul of the one you called the Millennium Earl,” Mana responded simply. He watched the white-haired exorcist in silence, allowing the information to sink in. A minute passed, and a response was yet to evoke from the male. 

“Allen--” Mana began, but before he could continue, the exorcist broke in.

“Mana! Mana… I’m sorry!” the cry left his lips almost as a sob as he ran for the two brothers. His tears began to flow freely down his pale cheeks as he stared up at the man that he did not recognize by physical form but by the smile that curled onto his lips.

“Allen… My dear Allen - you’ve grown,” Mana murmured, pulling away from Neah’s grip to wrap his slender arms around the exorcist’s smaller body. The faint smile on his lips widened slightly as he pulled Allen’s head closer to his chest.

The sensation, to Allen, was both light and cold. If he had to name it, he was certain that it was akin to being touched by starlight. Nonetheless, he allowed his late father-figure to hold him, throwing his own arms around the man as a strangled sob passed his lips.

“I’m so sorry, Mana…” he choked out, not looking up at the beautiful face that seemed so similar to Neah’s. “I turned you into an akuma….I did all this… I failed…” He had promised to keep walking for Mana, and yet, he had not been able to remain faithful to that promise. He had failed, and miserably, if the destruction around him spoke of anything.

“Allen…” Mana pulled back slightly and tilted Allen’s head upwards by his chin so their eyes met. He smiled warmly at the teen, his gaze filled with the love that only a father could express. Allen’s eyes widened and he averted his gaze.

“You never failed. You may have made mistakes, but you never failed. You continued to walk, even with your cursed eye and newfound innocence.” A chuckle passed the long-haired man’s lips. “You persevered, even when Marian left his debts to you.”

“I….you knew about that?” Allen interposed in confusion. Mana reached down to ruffle his white hair.

“Of course I did. I’ve watched you all this time, although perhaps not in the way I would have liked…” he drifted off. “Everyone makes mistakes, Allen,” the older of the two brothers continued calmly. “But the beauty in a world as depraved as ours comes from a heart that forgives.” Mana’s golden gaze drifted to Neah, who blinked. “Isn’t that right, brother?” he inquired.

Allen’s tears staunched themselves at that moment as he jumped back and looked from one to the other. “Wait… That was your relationship with the 14th? Ehhhh?” The surprised expression within his silver eyes caused the two brothers to chuckle in amusement.

“Yes - Mana is my older twin brother,” Neah informed with an amused smile. “And according to what he said, he is also the most beautiful person I know.” 

“Believe me, brother - you couldn’t be more wrong,” Mana responded dryly. 

Allen’s eyes drifted from one to the other, still attempting to register the information that he’d discovered. 

Neah shrugged, and rested one hand on his hip, smiling at his twin. “Not many people I know would forgive a person for killing their brother and then possessing their brother’s adoptive son.”

“I killed you too, remember?” Mana countered. “As for Allen… I think you should apologize to him, and not me.”

Neah turned to look at Allen and grinned sheepishly. “I’m sorry about that, Allen,” he apologized, as he had been told. The white-haired exorcist merely stared from one to the other, too stupefied to utter a single word. 

The younger of the two twins glanced at the elder. “I think we placed it on him a little too much at a time.”

“Mana…you were the Millennium Earl?” Allen asked dumbly, his silver eyes still wide and almost skeptical as the information that had been revealed to him for a short while finally sunk into his mind.. 

“Not exactly,” Mana responded gently. “We were the Millennium Earl.” His hand clasped around Neah’s to prove his point. “Two halves of one whole.”

“Ehhhhhhh?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seems as though Allen's forgotten that Kanda is right there -.-   
> Anyway, tomorrow I will be leaving for a small trip and most likely have no way to upload any chapter, so I'm sorry for the wait that might happen...


	17. Wane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the not so well written chapter 17, dear readers~ Thank you all for the wonderful support that keeps me going ^.^  
> Before we go on, I'd like to clarify that next to none of this explanation/backstory that no one wants to hear stuff is canon and is merely a figment of my imagination. That won't change anytime soon either -.- So bear with my sleep-deprived mind and don't take what's written too seriously please ^.^"  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

The vaguely amused expressions in the eyes of both twins caused the confusion to shine more prominently within Allen’s eyes as he looked from one to the other in puzzlement.

Neah nodded. “I was the first to become a Noah,” he stated. “It’s both terrifying and lonely when you can’t accept it. The hatred you have for humanity is something that most Noah don’t have to contend with and just accept. When I saw that, it scared me. Even though I was a Noah, I didn’t want to become like that. If I hated humanity, I hated Mana, and that was something I didn’t want to accept.”

“Of course, that was before he knew that I too was a Noah,” Mana interjected mildly. 

“When I did discover that Mana was a Noah, I could not let him undergo his transformation,” Neah continued. “It was too painful a thing to think about; like I said, Mana is the most beautiful person I know, both in appearance and personality. To imagine him becoming a being controlled by hatred was something I didn’t want to see. And yet…there is no running from the Noah. No matter how far you run, you will never escape it.”

“I stayed with Neah even when he became a Noah, because he was my only family and and I loved him too much to leave him, even if he had the other Noah. But there was a time where I was about to transform into a Noah. That was when Neah ‘killed’ me,” Mana explained.

“I thought I had, at least,” Neah interjected. “Even before he became a Noah, Mana was already loved by the family. I’m not surprised - it’s hard to not like him.”

“I beg to differ,” Mana interrupted mildly. Neah chuckled faintly before resuming.

“I was then driven by a blind rage at the Noah for making Mana suffer all of this. In that rage, I went and killed the other Noah. When I returned to where Mana was, I found Road with him. Some sense managed to get into me then, and I knew I couldn’t stay, so I fled.”

“He didn’t know that I had already gone through the process of becoming a Noah, and when he killed me, I think that may have brainwashed me somewhat. I remembered who Neah was, but I seemed to have forgotten who I was. I knew who Mana was, but I didn’t know that I was Mana.”

The twins paused for a few moments, their gazes losing some of their lustre. 

“I, in human form, had returned to the place we called home once, after I had awakened, to see if it would bring back the gaps in my memories. I saw Neah, in the form of the Millennium Earl, holding our mother,” Mana continued.

“I was lost within my anger,” Neah admitted, “I hated everything - especially my mother who had birthed Mana into all his suffering. But when I saw Mana…”

“That was when I killed him,” Mana interrupted, noting Neah’s discomfort with the subject. “The despair that I felt caused me to kill him before Mother’s body. The strange thing was, I recognized Mother, but I could not recognize Neah… I did recognize the name he had called while fighting. He had said that he had done it all for Mana.” Mana sighed softly.

“When I killed Neah, the memories of destruction left him and threatened to kill what it had called an ‘inadequate vessel. I, having already killed Neah myself, couldn’t bear the thought of harming him more. I begged Destruction to stop, and eventually took Neah’s sword to force it to lay dormant in his body. However, being half the Millennium Earl, Destruction had utilized telepathic powers to transport its memory into my mind  creating my memory of the event to be from an its perspective, and I saw Mana holding Neah… The Mana I loathed. When I returned to the ark, I saw myself in a mirror, and I realized that I looked like Mana. Not knowing that I was Mana, I cursed the image and destroyed my own body because I loved Neah, and Neah loved Mana.” 

“I found out the truth about the Millennium Earl, and whether you knew it or not, I made a deal with Red, a person from thirty-five years ago who would not let me die. That was you, Allen.” Neah continued. “I think that the Noah genes in your body may have prevented you from ageing. And somewhere in that time, Mana found you.”

“But...Mana was a travelling clown, wasn’t he?” Allen queried, his eyes still blank as he attempted to register what his mind was being fed. 

“That’s why, as the Millennium Earl, I felt empty,” Mana responded gently. “Not only was I missing my other half, Neah, but parts of my own soul too, that had been embedded into the body of another when Neah had ‘killed’ me and scattered it with his sword. Even though I had no knowledge of the Noah and akuma in that body, I did remember Nea, and that left me a little...unhinged, you could say.”

“A little?” both Neah and Allen challenged skeptically.

“You mock-hanged yourself when the group’s dog died!” Allen yelped indignantly.

“Maybe a bit more than a little,” Mana remedied, a bead of sweat running down his forehead as he chuckled. “Nonetheless, as things went, I adopted you and raised you. And when I died, the Earl came to retrieve the remainder of my soul, turning my body into that of an akuma. However, I managed to leave you with your curse, and you destroyed that body before it could manifest into something dangerous.”

“I think you know how things proceeded from there,” Neah finished.

Allen was silent for a few moments as he processed the thoughts than ran through his head. He frowned. “So I was the adoptive son and nephew of the Millennium Earl?” he questioned, his voice near breathy with disbelief at the revelation.

“Yes,” they responded in synchronization.

“And as your father, I need to apologize to you,” Mana continued, remorse within his amber gaze.

“As your uncle, I think I should apologize to you too,” Neah added.

“....but how can you be two halves of one whole if your representations are different?” Allen inquired, a frown crossing his lips. The two smiled faintly.

“Neah is Noah’s destruction,” Mana began.

“While Adam is Noah’s creation,” Neah finished. “The Millennium Earl is Noah’s balance.”

“Noah...of creation?” Allen interjected.

“How else did I create akuma and the ark?” Mana chuckled. “Although Mightra is the ability of Noah, his skills are limited to inanimate things.”

Allen nodded silently, his gaze lowering to the ground as he contemplated on the newfound information. It had barely sunk in, but the shock was quite real, he knew. Only upon regaining control of his body was he told all of this, and succeeding the destruction that had been wreaked upon the island that he had once called home.

Neah stepped away from his older twin, releasing his grip on their hands as he moved back to the body of the Earl, staring at it while he retrieved his sword. His gaze narrowed slightly and he stepped away from the body quickly, almost as if being within close range of it would contaminate him.

“I suppose after all the chaos we’ve caused, we need to repent,” he stated, glancing over at Mana, who nodded in response.

“For the grief that I’ve caused both the world and my dear brother, I must remedy it somehow,” he stated. His gaze drifted back to Allen and he smiled. “Allen, do you know what the balance of Noah’s destruction and creation add up to?” he questioned mildly.

“Eh…?” The white-haired exorcist could only stare dumbly at his adoptive father, not even having registered the question for all the other thoughts that were running through his head.

“Genesis,” Mana stated simply. “The destruction of the old and the birth of the new from the destruction. Origin. That is Noah’s balance.”

Reaching out, Mana retrieved the sword of exorcism from the ground. “….I’ll be borrowing this for a while,” he informed softly, testing the object in his hand. 

“Wait-- how can you stand that if you’re a Noah?” Allen questioned, the fact having troubled his mind for a while now.

“Mana is beautiful,” Neah stated simply, smiling warmly at his twin, who in turn rolled his eyes, not unkindly.

“If it wanted to resist me, it could,” Mana responded to Allen, holding the sword carefully in both hands. “As long as it does not turn against me, it cannot harm me.”

“Even the Innocence likes him,” Neah interjected, a playful hint in his tone. 

“....” Allen’s eyes drifted from one to the other, slowly beginning to tear up once again as he watched them. Noting this, the two ceased their well-meant jesting and stepped closer to him with worried frowns.

“Allen..?” Neah ventured.

“Did we say anything wrong?” Mana asked gently. 

Allen buried his face in his hands for the briefest of moments before lifting his head to look at them, a smile printed on his face despite the streamlets of water that dripped down his cheeks. 

“I feel like I have a family again…” he mumbled, his voice cracking slightly.

The twins exchanged a look before the two wrapped the younger exorcist in a gentle grip, smiling fondly. 

“We’re a terrible excuse for a family,” Neah stated.

“But we’ll remedy that from now onwards,” Mana promised.

The two stepped away from Allen with a smile and lifted their swords, brandishing the weapons that were so similar in build and marking, yet inverse in colour.

“Shall we?” Neah questioned, glancing over to his long-haired older twin, his hand proffered towards him.

“We shall,” Mana concurred with a soft smile, taking Neah’s hand in his own. 

As they stood amidst the barren ground, stained by the blood of both Noah and exorcists, they lifted the broadswords in their hands, and directed the tip towards the ground.

“As Balance, we will create Genesis together,” they stated simultaneously. 

In perfect synchronization, their weapon-brandishing arms brought the broadswords down upon the ground, penetrating the solid surface and driving the swords hilt-deep into the earth. Silently, the knelt side by side, their hands still holding on to each other, and the hilts of their respective weapons.

The air stilled as not a sound left anyone present, due to either lack of life, or desire to maintain the silence lest breaking it resulted in disaster. 

After nearly a minute, they stood, hand in hand, releasing the broadswords. Beams of bright light and dark energy illuminated the respective blades, merging with each other before the two Noah and growing in quantity, beginning to spread over the land.

Whenever it settled upon a body, it remained there, shielding the figure from the destruction that surrounded it in a white forcefield-like barrier protected by crackling dark matter. Soon, the bloodstained field was covered with the shells of light that housed a lone body, devoid of life.

Allen stared, unsure of what to make of the situation. It was unlike any he had witnessed before, mainly due to the fact that the sight of both Innocence and dark matter collaborate with each other and not cause any destruction upon contact. 

He blinked as the two forces surrounded his body and it began to heal over, regardless of how dire his injuries had been mere moments before. As he watched, shock embedded within his silver eyes, the bodies that had once laid mutilated and lifeless were restored to their original state, their wounds healing over until all that remained were thin, almost invisible scars.

Wisely, Tryde, Fiddler and the twins, which had now separated into two entities, reached up to their foreheads, nonplussed, as their stigmata began to bleed. 

In attempts to staunch the bleeding, Wisely tightened his scarf around his forehead, only for it to easily soak through and continue to spill down his face like tears of crimson. Timcanpy flew around his head in circles, worriedly and a sigh of weariness passed his lips.

All of this had come to pass, and now the true genesis, as the twins had stated, would come to pass. All just as he had prevised. The only thing he hadn’t expected was for that exorcist to do something so….drastic. From the looks of it, it seemed as though that had been his downfall.

And perhaps he hadn’t expected the reunification of the true Millennium Earl either, but then again, who did? It was something considered an impossibility, even to the Noah themselves.

The land was otherwise silent, save for the faint snaps that emitted from the dark matter around the bodies. Soon, even that was muted as it began to disappear.

“Where… what happened…?” 

The first to break the silence was Road, sitting up from the ground beside Sheril and looking around in confusion before recalling the events that had happened prior. Her eyes widened and she turned back, catching sight of the three figures that stood the small distance away. Shakily, she pushed herself to her feet and stepped towards them with wide eyes. 

Allen could see that, despite her body having been repaired, she still bled from the stigmata that lined her forehead like a coronet.

The young first disciple stumbled over to where the two brothers stood and stared up at them wordlessly for a few moments before her lips parted. “Neah…? Mana?”

“Welcome back, Road,” Mana stated with a smile. “I’m sorry for causing all of this.”

“For the last time-- it’s my fault!” Neah contradicted, a frown on his face. 

She laughed before leaping up and throwing her arms around both their necks, hanging onto them as she hugged them. “Thank goodness you’ve both returned to your senses-- it’s been a while,” she responded, smiling at them.

“It has,” Mana replied simply, wrapping an arm around her slender waist with joy lighting up his gaze.

“Yeah,” Neah concurred, mimicking the motion. “The last time you saw me was when I was Allen, right?”

His words caused her to release them and turn back to where the white-haired exorcist was standing, staring dazedly at them. Turning, she ran up to Allen and reached up to his cheek, resting her hand upon it for a few moments as she inspected him silently. Her shorter figure relaxed as a relieved smile curled onto her face.

“Allen - you’re back,” she stated, her words tight within her throat. He could only nod in response, as she wrapped her arms around him, relaxing her head against his chest. 

“No - Road! Don’t go near that monster!” The mood killing cry left the dark lips of Sheril Kamelot as he scrambled to his feet, lifting his hand to pull her away; only to realize that no strings of dark matter appeared from his fingers. His narrow eyes widened as he stared down at his hands before lifting it to his bleeding stigmata.

Opening her eyes and turning to face him but not moving away from the Allen that merely stared dumbly at the events that unraveled before his eyes, she pouted and poked her tongue out petulantly. “I’m not going anywhere now that I’ve got the real Allen back.”

“Eh? Ehhh?!” Allen near squeaked as he looked from one to the other, pointing at them, stunned. Road giggled and poked his cheek playfully. 

Sheril could only stare, dumbfounded, as the situation registered in his mind. His amber gaze scanned the scene before him before landing upon the two translucent figures that stood, watching the scene with a vague amusement.

Before he could even speak, however, the bodies of both Noah and exorcists that had been brutally murdered by the 14th began to rise once again, one by one in near rapid succession, bodies healed of their wounds and confused looks trying to piece together the recent events.

“It seems as though the unprecedented events have grown even more unprecedented,” Tyki stated, stepping up to his brother with his polite but not friendly smile upon his lips. In response, Sheril had nothing to say.

As the Noah gathered together upon re-awakening, Allen caught sight of the stigmata upon all their heads bleeding. Perplexed, he shifted his gaze back to Neah and Mana who merely watched from their distance in silence.

To his surprise, the Innocence and dark matter too had surrounded their bodies. It was quick to dissipate, and when it had, Allen noted the lack of translucence in their bodies. His eyes widened as they glanced at him, one with a familiar warmhearted smile, the other with mildly mischievous grin.

Road, noting the change, released Allen, only for him to stand still in a daze, his silver gaze fixed upon his assumed-dead adoptive family. She sighed and slipped behind him, reaching out and pushing him sharply towards the two. 

Taking the initiative, he stumbled over to them, only for Neah to laugh, not unkindly, in amusement. He sighed and wrapped his own arms around the two of them, holding them close as a smile adorned his pale features. They, in turn, returned the embrace willingly.

“You won’t have any more need for this, Allen. I remove your curse from you,” Mana pronounced serenely, resting his hand over Allen’s left eye. As he did so, Allen felt as though an immense weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

When Mana’s hand drew back, he blinked and reached up to his eye. The scar was still present, he could tell from the slight disruption of skin and tissue upon his face. However, the burden that had acquainted itself with him seemed to have vanished.

As his grey eyes drifted up to look at Mana and Neah, he saw the familiar stigmata opening onto their foreheads as well, and beginning to bleed just like the other Noah.

As he glanced back, to the scene from where he stood with the twin brothers, he could see the silent tension that hung in the air. The exorcists that had awoken had made the rift between themselves and the Noah well known, the two groups standing abruptly apart from each other.

Between both of them lay the last body that had yet to rise. As the realization dawned upon him, he released the two Noah and ran for the body that lay pitifully still on the ground upon which flames still licked greedily. The forest too, was still ablaze, but the lives that had been returned to their bodies restored life to the previously dead battlefield.

He promptly knelt by the side of the long-haired exorcist, noting that no innocence or dark matter surrounded his figure. His eyes still remained partially opened, and their dullness squeezed painfully at Allen’s chest. Almost shakily, he reached up to touch the cheek of the exorcist.

His hand stiffened. It was so cold… He had seen Kanda in a death-like state before, but the long-haired exorcist always recovered, After all, his regenerative ability characteristic of a second exorcist prevented him from being killed off so easily….right?

And yet, the feeling of dread that settled in his stomach was nauseating. It nearly made him want to vomit. However, he resisted the urge as he waited in silence for the raven to heal, wake up, and begin yelling at him for his stupidity.

Moments passed in deathly silence, and not a movement or a word escaped the lips of the onlookers as they surveyed the saddening sight that was laid out before their unaided eyes. Allen stared down at Kanda, dry-eyed as he waited.

“Allen…” The one that broke the silence was Neah, who had stepped up behind him and knelt down upon one knee to the left of him, laying a hand on Allen’s shoulder. “Allen - the deaths of everyone were untimely, but he… He chose his own death,” the younger twin murmured.

Mana flanked Allen’s right side, a hand resting on that shoulder as he shifted closer. “He’s gone, Allen…” the older twin whispered softly. 

“No… No he isn’t!” Allen suddenly snapped, tears accumulating in his eyes but refusing to spill down his cheeks. “He’s not - he’s BaKanda! He doesn’t die just like that! He...doesn’t…”

The younger of the two twins glanced up his eyes scanning the ruins of Headquarters before reaching out. Pulling apart the ruins from his distance, he retrieved eight flowers, one, a bouquet of seven, six of which were in full bloom, the other, a pitifully shriveled and brown flower.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, Kanda's been lying there dead as a doornail for how long, and no one bothers to notice until now -.-"


	18. Genesis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the final chapter, dear readers, and thank you for reading it thus far! All your support had been something greatly motivated, and all I can do is express thanks ^.^  
> I was planning on an epilogue/bonus chapter, and if you readers want that, then please let me know.  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

Neah noted that the blossoms which he had retrieved had not been harmed by the destruction that had befallen the island, and reached out to lay the shriveled bloom upon Kanda. Mana proceeded to reach out and carefully close Kanda’s eyes, lidding the dull blue orbs that stared at nothing.

Allen could only watch in disbelief as the first tear spilled down his cheek. He spread his arms, blocking the two Noah from moving any closer to Kanda. “No! He’s not..! He’s not…” he hissed, unsure of just why he was so affected.

All he could confirm was the utter pain at the sight of Kanda’s face which had grown paler than what could be deemed normal. The sight angered him for whatever strange reason, although what he was angry at, he didn’t know. 

“Allen,” Mana admonished gently. “There are some things that you need to accept.”

“Not this!” Allen retaliated, his wavering eyes glaring at the long-haired man whom he had once seen as a father. “I won’t accept this… I can’t accept this…I need to know what happened…”

“What do you mean?” Neah questioned, puzzlement evident in his voice. 

Allen shook his head, his gaze drifting down to Kanda’s limp form. “He was the one that saved me…” he murmured. “I know it. But I don’t even know why or how…”

The words drifted into the silent air, transient in their softness as Allen’s heart contorted painfully within his chest. Lowering his head into his hands, he began to cry silently, tears spilling irrepressibly from his eyes without a sound escaping his lips.

Neah lowered Allen’s arm and reached out to wrap Kanda’s hands around the arrangement of seven lotuses that nearly glowed in the darkness of the night that surrounded them. 

Despite the tension between the Noah and the exorcists and the roaring of the flames that remained upon the crimson-watered ground and what had once been a stretch of forest, the blossoms seemed to exude a serenity that instilled a sense of calm upon the small expanse.

Allen’s jaw clenched as an angry sob left his lips. He glared between his fingers at the figure of the raven upon the ground who seemed almost asleep, was it not for the lack of breath and heartbeat that was found within him. 

He didn’t understand. He had initially sent Kanda to be with Alma with the assumption that they would die together. The thought had brought him a sense of peace back then in knowing that he could quell the sufferings of both second exorcists.

But now…now he couldn’t bear the thought of having Kanda leave. His glare was soon hidden by hands once again as another anguished sob left his lips. It was selfish of him, he realized, but he didn’t want Kanda to return to Alma. 

After having seen the second exorcist once again, albeit briefly, he had fought with the intention of resuming his life with the others and with Kanda. That opportunity had danced upon the tips of his fingers, and he could not reach it. He couldn’t reach it, and it had fallen out of his grasp completely.

“Kanda…!” The cry left his lips as a scream of agony, unlike anything that had plagued him from physical injury. The weight of the realization that this was indeed the end pained him immensely as sobs wracked his body, bent over Kanda’s still figure.

The scene was silent, save for the heartbreaking cries emitting from the lips of the white-haired exorcist. None had the heart to silence him, but none had the will to console him either as he grieved over the body of the raven which lay cold upon the ground.

The two brothers flanking either side of the white-haired male exchanged a look. Standing, Neah stepped around the body of the long-haired exorcist, moving to kneel upon his left side facing Mana. The older of the two reached out and Neah took his hands into his own, holding them with a certain tenderness.

“ _ So the little infant fell into a deep sleep,”  _ the two began to sing together softly, their voices drifting over the air and into the ears of the two sides causing all heads to turn and face the scene before them.

Falling abruptly silent, Allen stiffened as the melody drifted into his ears, his tear-reddened eyes widening despite his head not lifting from where it was bent over Kanda’s body.

“ _ Among the grey ashes in the flames shining… first one, then two… Surfaces numerous of your faces _ …” Allen lifted his head to stare at the twins, tears refusing to stop flowing down his cheeks, only to note the stares down at Kanda with such mild gazes. None could bring it in their heart to silence the two.

As they sang, the destruction seemed to grow distant and muted before it dissipated entirely, leaving the land charred and barren. Lights akin to fireflies drifted around the scene peacefully in an almost surreal spectacle as the song drifted through the silent night.

“ _ A thousand dreams trickle back to the earth, on the night where silver eyes were trembling, the shining you was born….”  _

Allen wiped at his eyes, his heartbeat speeding up at a rapid pace as he listened to the song that he had first heard when he himself had sung it back upon the first ark.

Beneath their feet, lush grass had begun to sprout from the bloodstained ground, covering the carnage that had been laid upon the land. Foliage began to sprout where the forest had once been as it too began to regrow with a vibrant passion. 

Even the exorcists that had fled out to sea with the aid of one of Komui’s decent inventions had docked upon the high shore of the island and stepped out, viewing the scene with stunned gazes yet still not breaking the silence as they drew closer to the three groups.

Lenalee’s lips parted in a silent gasp as she caught sight of their fallen comrades and the Noah that had also been brutally slaughtered by that monster that had taken over Allen’s body. The sight was near unreal… Her eyes only widened further as they shifted to Allen, Kanda, and the twins.

Lavi’s somber, dim eyes viewed the scene as he took it in and made careful note of it, storing it within his unusually adept memory. He bit his lip at the sight of his two friends that only seemed to add to the grimness of the otherwise surreal scene.

The eyes of the onlookers stared at the dreamlike events that transpired before their eyes, mesmerized by the phantasmagorical scene. It would near be a crime not to be, considering the utter unearthliness of the restoration that seemed to be birthed from the voices of the two.

“ _ Across millions of years, the prayers have already returned to earth…” _

His gaze drifted down to Kanda, who lay serenely between the two. It was a sight that transfixed him, his tears going unregistered by his own mind as he reached out towards the hands of the raven that were wrapped loosely around the seven lotuses.

The partially lidded eyes of the two brothers trailed over to the figure of the younger male watching him with almost glazed gazes as he moved before hiding their glowing eyes behind dark lids as their grip on each other’s hands grew fervently tighter.

“ _ I will still continue to pray….please bestow upon this child you love….upon our joined hands leave a gentle kiss….” _

The last notes lingered in the air long after the brothers lips had sealed. Their eyes were shut and their hands grasped each other with a determination as Allen’s hand laid upon Kanda’s just as the final lotus opened into its full glory. 

“Kanda…” he whispered, his voice barely audible as his hands gripped those of the second exorcist tightly. “Don’t leave me, Kanda….I love you..” The words barely registered in Allen’s own mind before they left his lips, but he couldn’t care less. All that mattered now was the second exorcist before him.

It was selfish to say such a thing - he was aware. He had never taken time to think much about his own character, but now that he had, he realized just how self-seeking he was. It was only pressed further as the words passed his lips. He couldn’t even apologize to Alma in his mind as he begged anything to return Kanda.

The light emanating from the lotus blossoms were dimmed as light broke over the waters of the sea. As eyes drifted over to observe the sunrise, Allen’s gaze did not move from where it laid upon Kanda. His tears remained adhered to his eyes, the trails of water drying upon his cheeks.

Impulsively, he lowered his forehead down to where his hands gripped the raven’s in a death-grip. Taking notice, the twin brothers smiled vaguely and stood, moving away from the two and leaving them to themselves.

As the already brightening sky illuminated the island, clothed with lavish growth, black eyelashes fluttered. Pale skin took on the lustre of life as dark eyes unlidded to stare up at the sky. Drifting down, Kanda caught sight of the white-haired boy, leaning down above him with what seemed to be a death grip on his hands which, for some reason, were clasped around a familiar arrangement of pale pink flowers.

“Get off me, Moyashi - you’re heavy,” he whispered raspily, his voice strangely dry. 

At the sound, Allen lifted his head to stare at Kanda. His eyes widened as the tears that had refused to leave finally fell. Instead of taking heed to the command of the raven, he compulsively threw his arms around the neck of the second exorcist.

“What did you think you were doing, BaKanda!” he shouted, his voice resting as the mediator for a sob and laughter. 

Kanda tensed at the movements of the white-haired boy before sitting up and sighing, a faintly amused smile settling on his lips.

“If I didn’t do anything, you, like the troublemaker you are, would have destroyed the world. As much as I despise the world, I despise letting you do what you want more,” he stated sharply, his words harsh, but his voice hinting the amusement he felt.

“Stupid - the first thing you do when you get back is tell me I’m heavy!” Allen complained, still crying as he raised his left hand to give the raven a sound whacking. He rubbed his eyes to rid himself of the blurriness characteristic of tears.

His eyes drifted over to his hand only to realize that it was no longer the black characteristic of his parasitic innocence. His eyes drifted to his surroundings, to see that the bleeding stigmata had also disappeared from the foreheads of the Noah.

A silver gaze drifted over to his adoptive family to see them smiling warmly at him. His breath caught in his throat with shock as he reached down and tugged Kanda’s coat open before yanking at his shirt to reveal his chest.

“Oi! Moyashi! Quit stripping me!” Kanda snapped sitting up. Lifting his hand, he brought it down upon Allen’s head none too gently. The action did not even seem to register in the mind of the white-haired teen as Allen merely stared, stupefied, at his chest.

Kanda frowned, moving to pull his shirt back into place, feeling strangely exposed under the silver gaze. However, even the raven too stopped short as his eyes drifted down to his scar ridden body. A lack of the black tattoo on his chest had made itself known. Stunned, he laid his hand upon where the black marking should have rested, but there was no sign of the marking.

“It’s...Allen, BaKanda…” Allen responded automatically, his voice lacking edge and the same amazement resting within his own silver gaze.

“The world is being cleansed of both Innocence and Dark Matter,” Mana declared, his gaze lifting from the pair to face both the Noah and the exorcists. “Noah’s genes have been destroyed as well. That has always been the desire of Noah: the destruction of this pointless war.”

“Welcome to Genesis,” Neah added, a grin spreading over his features as he looked from Mana to the two groups. 

Allen stared up at the twins before a chuckle left his lips. Soon, he had dissolved into laughter, lying on the ground and staring joyfully up at the sky. His gaze drifted over to Kanda, who stared at him as though he were insane. Allen grinned. 

“It’s over, Kanda!” he declared, awe audible in his voice. “It’s over. Everything is over.”

As the realization dawned upon both the raven and the onlookers, smiles spread over faces, and his laughter was accompanied by that of both exorcists and Noah alike. Even Kanda allowed the hint of a smile to curve onto his lips.

“It is, isn’t it…” His dark gaze drifted around to view their surroundings that looked lush and beautiful compared to when he had last seen it, bare and bloodstained.

Komui had grabbed Lenalee into an embrace, tears spilling from his eyes, yet no expression of comical happiness upon his face. This came as no surprise to Kanda, as the man had been the Head of the main branch of the nightmare known as the Black Order. For something so dreamlike as the termination of it all, no doubt the man had many burdens fall from his shoulders.

His expression was mirrored upon Lenalee’s face as she smiled widely, burying her face in his chest to hide her crying face from whoever was there to witness it. 

The smile that had crawled onto Lavi’s lips soon turned into a grin as a triumphant shout passed his lips. He grinned and swung his arm around the nearest person to him hugging them tightly to himself in complete and utter jubilance.

“Ah… Excuse me,” a velvety voice called somewhat awkwardly as a throat was cleared beside the redhead.

Lavi glanced over at the person he had thrown his arm around only to find the former Noah of Pleasure standing beside him, staring at him with faint amusement.

“Aah-- sorry,” the rabbit apologized, drawing his arm back sheepishly and moving away. 

The Noah stared at him inscrutably for a few moments before sighing and shaking his head, a faint smile playing on his umber lips. No words left his throat as his gaze turned back to the two twins that made the Millennium Earl.

Mana turned back to face the sight of his adoptive son smiling jubilantly at the raven that had returned to them, and a gentle smile drifted onto his own lips. Neah caught sight of both, and chuckled faintly before stepping over to them, and sitting down before them. His older twin was quick to follow his example, his golden eyes veritably shining brightly.

“You made it, Kanda,” Neah stated, grinning at the second exorcist. “I’m sorry for putting you through all that.”

“...” Kanda merely stared expressionlessly at the 14th Noah, his mind growing blank for a few moments as he registered the sight of the two brothers, one whom he recognized as the 14th, the other who he could not say he knew.

“It’s okay - you don’t have to forgive me,” Neah assured, leaning back and balancing himself upon his arms, stretched out behind him. “I caused a lot of trouble.”

“Che. There’s really no point in holding grudges now that everything I hate is gone,” Kanda responded honestly. There really was nothing left to hate. The Black Order was gone, as were the Noah. Innocence and Dark Matter had both been eradicated as well. The only thing that remained were the individuals, who he was not amicable with, but did not hate either. Except maybe Lvellie.

“I’m glad you realize that,” the long-haired twin stated with a smile. Extending his hand in a benign motion, he offered it to the long-haired male. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Mana D. Campbell, or Mana Walker. But you can just call me Mana.”

“Walker…?” Kanda inquired, his gaze narrowing in slight mystification, his gaze automatically drifting over to Allen. 

The white-haired teen, in response to the unsubtle gaze rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, smiling in his happy way that Kanda found both irritating and endearing both at once. How that worked, he wasn’t certain, but that was definitely what he felt.

“I’m Neah’s older twin brother and Allen’s adoptive father, you could say,” Mana responded warmly to the confused venture.

“A Noah?!” Kanda couldn’t help but exclaim stunned by the revelation. His dark gaze drifted from Allen to Mana, perplexity in his narrowed gaze. 

“The Millennium Earl,” Neah interjected somewhat mischievously, shifting to link arms with Mana, who had turned to him with an expression of faint mock-betrayal shining in his golden eyes. 

“Brother…”

“You’re that thing?” Kanda questioned incredulously. 

“It’s a long story,” Neah responded simply, smiling at Kanda. “We’ll save it for another time maybe.”

Kanda shrugged, relaxing slightly as he looked from one to the other and sensing no form of hostility. He glanced down at himself only to realize that his uniform was still undone, leaving his bare skin exposed. Hastily, he buttoned up his shirt and fixed his coat over it to cover himself. 

“We need to thank you, Kanda,” Mana suddenly stated, his mild voice alluding to genuine gratitude as he smiled kindly at the second exorcist. “If it weren’t for you, I may have never seen my beloved Neah and dear Allen again. This world may have been destroyed. You saved us, Kanda.”

The praise caught the raven off guard, as he had not been expecting such high words from the man that was apparently both the Millennium Earl and Allen’s adoptive father. Nonetheless, in the face of such mildness of tone while receiving such honour.

“Kanda’s flustered!” Allen exclaimed in disbelief, his silver gaze widening at the long-haired male beside him. 

At the outcry, heads of both exorcists and Noah turned to stare at the conglomeration of four, causing Kanda to feel unexpectedly self conscious. A characteristic scowl spanned his pale lips as his eyes narrowed. He lifted his hand and abruptly dealt Allen a smack upside his head of white hair.

“Shut up, baka Moyashi!” 

“Oww- It’s Allen, BaKanda!” 

The exorcists automatically distanced themselves from the group while the Noah merely stared in amazement as the intensity of the glares that the two directed towards each other smoldered in the air. Some could even see the flamed burning around the two bodies.

The twins sitting before them exchanged a look before Neah pushed himself to his feet. Moving behind the two, he abruptly brought his fists down on their heads, a pleasant grin on his features as the flames subsided and the two nursed their aching crowns.

“Save the quarrelling for later, you two,” he advised cheerily before returning to Mana’s side and lowering onto the soft grass. 

A groan passed Allen’s lips as he stared up at the 14th Noah. “You’re my family - you’re supposed to side with me,” he complained. Neah merely shrugged and moved closer to his older twin. 

Allen watched them for a moment before frowning slightly. There had been something on his mind for a small while now, but in light of all things recent, he had not been able to ask.

“Mana, how come you could defeat that thing so easily when so many people couldn’t? Is it because you’re the Millennium Earl?”

The two brothers exchanged a look before shaking their heads and chuckling. 

“It’s because Mana is beautiful,” Neah responded brightly. The older of the two sighed and glanced over at him fondly, but with a hint of weariness.

“You won’t stop that?” he questioned. Neah shook his head. Turning back to Allen, the long-haired Noah smiled. “I suppose part of it goes to your innocence, which is quite powerful,” he replied. “But there are many things that lead to the loss of a battle, namely the loss of calmness or resolve. Under the presence of someone that had defeated it before, Destruction could not maintain its spiteful composure and acted out of impulse which led to its defeat.”

Mana chuckled and sighed, tilting his head back to watch the sky, stained in muted, warm hues of pink, peach, orange, and yellow. Allowing his gaze to slip closed, he drew in a quiet breath, the crisp yet mild morning air drawing itself into his lungs.

“But let’s not talk about such things. The time for conflict is over,” he declared softly, his eyes sliding open partially, drifting from his younger twin to the two exorcists with a blissful smile. “This is an era of peace.”

Kanda’s dark gaze moved from the older of the two twins to the younger, and then to Allen. His stance relaxed itself once again as a near invisible hint of a genuine smile crept onto his lips. 

“Yeah…” he concurred, his gaze drifting over to the horizon where the sun watched the jubilant scene, shedding its light upon the rejoicing figures on the island. His hand inched closer to Allen’s as he twined his fingers with that of the younger white-haired male. His lips barely parted.

“This is a new beginning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go. I'm sorry if it was unsatisfying, but I do hope you enjoyed it ^.^ and don't forget to let me know if you want that extra chapter~


	19. Extra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, wonderful readers~! Bonus chapter starring Yullen because who doesn't like bonus chapters (starring Yullen)!!!  
> Thank you very much, dear ayaMASO for your encouraging feedback and request for an extra chapter~ I'm not sure if this is what you wanted exactly, but it has some happy stuff after all the angst that happened before ;P  
> And yes, Kanda and Wisely are bros and they don't even know it ;P Because Kanda would kill someone if he did.  
> D.Gray-man belongs to Hoshino Katsura~

If there was one thing Kanda despised, it was being amidst a large group of people. He did value his personal space, and as far as he knew, the only one who could intrude without fear of death was Marie,  Tiedoll, and the girl….and maybe the beansprout too. Maybe.

He was clad in the casual clothing that he had purchased on his journey from Mater back to the Headquarters, as he had no need for his exorcist uniform any longer. Even if he did wear it, Mugen had been destroyed along with all other traces of innocence, as well as the akuma. There was no need for exorcists any longer.

And here he found himself, ensnared within some strange celebration that a certain Branch Head decided to throw in honour of this ‘Genesis’, the two Noah had called it.

With some convincing by the two twins, the Noah too had attended the celebration, albeit some grudgingly. As far as Kanda could see, however, there was no complication between both sides, although the faint tension was still present between the more obstinate.

The Headquarters was gone once again, leaving many of the exorcists at a loss for where to go, as they had called the oppressive building home for so long. He himself didn’t bother worrying - he’d solve that problem sometime when it actually became an issue.

Glancing around the island, he caught sight of both exorcists and Noah mingling upon the island that seemed as beautiful as it had been before the Genesis, and perhaps even more so due to the lack of Headquarters that tended to loom darkly overhead. He had never considered a situation where they would all be in one place without the intention of murdering each other.

He supposed that was best, and, quite frankly, something that the moyashi would want. He rolled his eyes at the thought, taking a sip of his green tea whilst eyeing the scene before him with wry amusement. At least no one was bothering him.

Unfortunately for certain other people, namely the beansprout, that didn’t seem to be the case. The white-haired former exorcist was entrapped within the attention of his two friends, the girl and the rabbit, and one very lively golem.

Whatever seemed to be happening, was clearly causing the beansprout some form of discomfort, or so the red that spread over his face stated. Kanda leaned against the tree trunk behind him, watching the events unfold before his eyes.

Soon, much to his dismay, the redhead left Allen and began to traipse  towards him with an air of cheeriness that Kanda immediately knew could mean nothing good.

“Yuu-chan~” the apprentice Bookman chirped, running towards him. Irritably, he raised a foot, allowing Lavi to run into it and wind himself. An expression of comical dismay crossed the face of the redhead who promptly crumbled to the ground, clasping his arms around his stomach and fighting for breath.

“Yuu-chan’s so meeean,” he complained, staring querulously up at the raven.

“I never asked for your company, usagi,” the raven responded calmly, taking another sip of his tea and ignoring the redhead in favour of watching Allen struggle with the remaining two that he retained the attention of. Out of the corner of his gaze, Kanda could see that the two twins, the apparent adoptive family of that beansprout, were watching as well in amusement.

The sight seemed to revive Lavi in a matter of seconds, the redhead jumping to his feet and sidling close to Kanda. “Hey, Yuu~” he sang in a tone that dripped of mischievousness. “I’m an apprentice Bookman so I see everything and record everything~ And I think that you should wipe that grumpy scowl off your face and go get your moyashi~!”

Within moments, Lavi once again found himself on the ground, winded once again as Kanda left the tree to head for the refreshments once again and refill his cup of tea. Thank goodness Jerry had enough decency to serve the beverage, even during a party.

He would admit it. He had already admitted it to Alma, and he was certain that the 14th Noah… Neah, was well aware of his affections for the white-haired teen. But he had yet to know what Allen thought of the entire ordeal. As far as he knew, the moyashi was completely oblivious to his sentiments. With a characteristic scowl, Kanda retreated to another corner of the clearing where he would not be bothered.

His eyes drifted over to Komui, who was glaring rather unsubtly at Allen, octopus gun in hand as Lenalee hovered over the beansprout like a worried mother hen. Some distance away from the Supervisor, stood the rest of the Science department, most likely there to prevent him from doing anything idiotic.

Many of the Noah still remained self-conscious and somewhat distant from the less trusting of the exorcists, as one could never know when a dispute would break out over old rivalry, although the more social of the group had chosen to mingle pleasantly and strike up conversation here and there.

The night sky was illuminated, not only by the moon and stars that shone above, but also with the lights and lanterns that had been strung from the rubble of Headquarters to the trees, hanging over their heads and illuminating the lush field with a mellow glow.

The air too, was pleasantly warm with a light breeze blowing through the air every now and then, caressing Kanda’s skin. He breathed out as he listened to the mild chaos, peculiar to throwing the eccentric group of exorcists into one area together. It was troublesome, but he supposed he would not have it any other way.

His eyes drifted back to Allen. The purpose of his old life had disappeared, and now he had no real reason to continue existing. The war against Noah had ended, and should have left him devoid of purpose. However, he couldn’t help but feel that it was acceptable to continue living.

Alma had wished for him to move on, the only remnants of the brunet upon the earth being within the memory of those that had known him. A faint smile curled onto his lips, but he hid the expression under his tea, hoping no one had seen it. Affection could make one do strange things, he realized. His thoughts were much like Allen’s words had once been.

The white-haired teen had sworn to keep walking for Mana. Kanda himself would continue to live, but for the sake of Allen himself. Perhaps one day the beansprout would come to realize just how much Kanda valued him. Perhaps it was madness to even hope for such a thing.

Regardless of which of the two it was, Kanda was certain of one thing. He had devoted his old life to the destruction of the akuma, treading a path of desolation and despair. This new life that had been created by the two halves of the Millennium Earl, he would devote to Allen.

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you.”

Lost in his thoughts, Kanda was not aware of the approach of a certain white-haired Noah. The sound of the aloof voice startled him, but he hid it well as his dark eyes shifted to where Wisely stood beside him, the Noah’s amber eyes fixed upon Allen as well.

The raven had assumed that, with the disappearance of innocence and dark matter, the powers of both sides were stripped from them. Why then was it that Wisely could so easily read his thoughts? After all, the Noah no longer possessed his demon eye.

“It’s easy to read people once you’ve observed them for long enough,” the Noah droned. “You don’t need a special ability for that.”

“Che.”

“So I was right?”

Kanda ignored the Noah, his eyes drifting over to the others within Wisely’s ‘family’. Despite having lost their Noah genes, their history was quite obvious through the exhibition given off by their dark complexion and golden eyes.

He wondered why. Perhaps it was because the DNA embedded within their blood had changed their appearance permanently, and the lack of powers prevented them from shifting back to their human mien.

“You really should just tell him, you know,” Wisely drawled, a yawn passing his lips as he leaned against a tree trunk behind him, wrapping a length of his scarf languidly around his arm with disinterested eyes. “It’ll save you the trouble of people telling you to tell him.”

“Or maybe you should save yourself the trouble and not say anything at all,” Kanda retorted, his words unusually lacking in their normal venomous bite.

“Hm. Good point.” The Noah shrugged and lowered his arm, not having much of a response to the retaliation of the raven.

Said raven had to contemplate upon why the typically aloof and indolent Noah would go through the trouble of approaching him only to say something he had heard prior. It was uncharacteristic, and did not profit the white-haired male in any way, after all.

“Maybe I’m just trying to be nice for once,” Wisely broke into his thoughts, golden eyes drifting away from Kanda.

“Then be nice to someone else,” he retorted coldly. His body remained at ease regardless of the close proximity between himself and the Noah. Why it would not show sign of hostility despite his irritable behaviour, he couldn’t be certain, but he didn’t wish to trouble his mind with the thoughts either.

Kanda’s eyes managed to find their way back to Allen, who had meandered over to where the refreshments were situated, and had begun to satisfy his seemingly insatiable appetite while Lenalee and Lavi watched on in amusement. Timcanpy too, managed to steal a few bites here and there before being pulled away by the tail, by an umber hand.

Neah chuckled and pulled the golem to his chest, preventing it from play eating Allen’s immense repast. It was the least he could do for not satisfying the appetite of the teen for the time in which he had control of Allen’s body.

His eyes smiled as he spared a glance at Mana, who stared, astounded, at the sight of his adoptive son veritably gorging himself with copious amounts of food. Even without his parasitic innocence eating away at his energy, the white-haired male still retained his voracious appetite and ludicrously fast metabolism.

Allen himself paid no attention to the scrutiny he was receiving by multiple persons that conspicuously watched him. All his mind could focus on at the moment was how hungry he felt. After all, Neah did not seem to have done his body any favours by stinting himself when it came to food. Not to mention the first thing he had to accomplish upon regaining control of his body was the defeat of some crazy dark matter creature.

He was starving, but, ever efficient when it came to any and all matters in the kitchen, Jerry had served up a virtual feast. Of course, not many had the intention of eating more than a bite here and there except Allen himself.

Within minutes, he had finished his lavish meal and wiped his lips with a napkin before folding it and setting it aside. He leaned back and sighed slightly in contentment. It had been so long since he had the opportunity to eat properly….

“Allen, is that really healthy?”

His silver gaze drifted over to where Mana stood, watching him with concern. A laugh escaped his lips and he smiled at the man.

“I was hungry,” he responded simply. “I normally eat less.”

“Liar!” Lavi yelped from where he stood beside Lenalee, having snapped out of his daze. Allen’s grinning face turned to look at the redhead.

“I need energy, Lavi,” he responded mildly. “If I don’t eat well, I’ll drop dead.”

The Bookman Junior sweatdropped and shrugged with a grin. “How all of that can fit into your stomach, even I will never know…” he sighed.

Mana chuckled softly at the exchange and smiled at both the redhead and Lenalee. “I’m glad Allen has friends that take good care of him,” he stated.

“I can take care of myself…” Allen ventured with an uncharacteristic childishness, causing Neah to laugh.

“Yes, of course,” he responded quickly before wrapping an arm around Allen’s neck and pulling him away from the small group, Timcanpy hovering around his shoulders. Glancing back, he noted that the two had struck up conversation with Mana, leaving their attention occupied.

“Anyway, aside from that, I think there’s someone you really should talk to,” the younger twin informed mildly. Allen blinked, puzzlement flooding his gaze.

“Who?”

Surprise crossed Neah’s amber gaze before he turned the white-haired male’s head to face the area where Kanda and Wisely stood. The white-haired Noah caught the gaze of the 14th and a faint smirk crossed his lips before he turned to say something to Kanda and walk away.

Urging Allen on with a gentle push, Neah grinned. “Go on. You have a lot of things to say, and I’m sure he does too.”

Drawing his hand back, Neah turned back to where the small group of three stood, grabbing Timcanpy gently by the tail before the golden spherical creature could traverse after Allen. His gaze drifted back to watch the male as his footsteps carried him back to the side of his older twin.

Allen hesitated momentarily before stepping over to where Kanda stood, alone now, his cup of tea within his hand. They hadn’t spoken with each other since the end of the incident, and he couldn’t fight the thought that perhaps the raven was ignoring him.

As the dark eyes of the long-haired male fixated upon his figure, he did not stop walking, instead meeting Kanda’s eyes as he approached him. A slight frown marred his features as he stepped closer to Kanda, stopping a mere foot away from him.

“Kanda…?”

“Moyashi.”

Allen’s eyes narrowed. “It’s Allen.”

“I know.”

“You’re awfully talkative today.”

“Che.”

Allen sighed. Perhaps he had been correct, and Kanda truly did not wish to speak to him. After all, this was the end of the Black Order and the Noah. They could part ways after this if they so wished, and perhaps would never see each other again.

And yet, the slight tingling sensation he felt in his fingers when Kanda had moved to entwine their digits at the break of day still lingered. Allen lowered his head, his gaze drifting over to his hand. He couldn’t help but wonder just why Kanda, the antisocial and perhaps even somewhat sociopathic Kanda, had done such a thing. Or why he had such a reaction to such a thing.

The silence that hung in the air between them was uneasy and thick. He wanted to break it, but didn’t know how. Nevertheless, before he could muse further on the matter, he felt his head being tilted up with two hands, and his silver eyes trailed up to meet the dark ones of the raven.

“Kanda?”

For a moment, everything seemed to freeze. The silence between them had grown nearly tangible, it was so thick. Allen wasn’t sure why he was rendered immobile.

Before he could move, the hands that held his face with an uncharacteristic gentleness moved to wrap around his body. His eyes widened as he returned the embrace without even registering it, too stunned to do much else.

Perhaps it was his imagination. His mind was definitely a strange one, he knew. And yet, it had sounded so real - that voice that drifted through the air almost inaudibly. His eyes drifted over to the raven’s lips only to find them barely parted.

_“I love you, Allen.”_

The words, regardless of how soft, tore through Allen’s perception violently, nearly winding him. His grip around the raven tightened as the elation that spread through his heart and his mind directed to one impossibility that was in the process of occurring.

No words passed his lips as he abruptly broke the embrace and reached up to take Kanda’s head in both his hands. A genuine smile spanned his lips which wasted no time in meeting those of the second exorcist in a  swift, chaste gesture.

His eyes widened as all around them, pale pink blooms filled the air, adorning the entirety of his vision with their glow and surrounding the body of the raven. Allen’s silver eyes lidded themselves partially as he took in the surreal sight.

Pulling away, Allen once again embraced the taller male, his smile still present upon his lips as he found himself unable to tear his gaze away from the exorcist that had likened himself to a flower. Truly, Kanda was indeed as beautiful if not more than the blossoms that surrounded them.

Allen recalled the sight of the lotus that he had seen in Kanda’s room once upon a time, as well as the bouquet of seven that Neah had set within the raven’s hands. He wondered if Kanda could see the glowing blooms that surrounded his body.

Lifting his gaze to stare at the raven’s visage, he blinked, surprise shining within his silver orbs. His eyes widened as the darkness in Kanda’s gaze dissipated before his unaided vision revealing two beautifully clear, pristine, blue eyes.

Those eyes seemed to tremble for a few moments before thin lines drew themselves down the pale face of the long-haired male soundlessly. Although this time Kanda’s features maintained an inscrutable expression, Allen realized that it was the first time since he had traversed within Kanda’s memories that he had seen the taller male cry.

It too, was beautiful in all its melancholia, and Allen could only freeze and stare, dumbstruck, at the one whom he had bickered and exchanged blows with countless times before. He had never before realized just how expressive Kanda could be, but as he continued to watch, not daring to move, he was met with the sight of what he could only describe as love.

He finally reached up to brush the droplets of water away, allowing his knuckles to rest gently against the long-haired male’s jaw without any hesitation. The taller of them both still had not yet budged, but continued to watch him with a stare no longer shrouded with the darkness that had dwelt in his heart for so long.

Lowering his hand slowly, Allen then proceeded to step back and take in the sight before him. The silence between them was in no ways something he was accustomed to, and yet, it was not a cause of discomfiture for either of them.

He blinked as the light breeze around them suddenly whirled about them, plucking a few leaves from the trees and sending them on a course for the sea. In that faint movement, Allen could have sworn he could just barely catch sight of two near transparent figures by the sides of the raven.

The first, a woman whom he did not recognize, the second, a familiar brunet that Allen had only seen for a small period of time, but felt as though he’d known for an eternity. He looked from the two to Kanda, unsure if what was being registered in his sight was real.

The vague amazement and slight apprehension in the long-haired male’s eyes confirmed his suspicions, but he could not speak a word for fear of breaking the delicate silence that hung between the four of them.

“I love you forever…” the words drifted around them as the lips of the woman parted slightly, her slender hand moving to take Kanda’s in a tender action. Immediately, Allen could see the faintest flashes of guilt in the raven’s azure eyes.

“Take care of Yuu,” Alma whispered after, his almost transparent hand moving to take Allen’s as a smile crossed his youthful face, lacking in the tiredness that Allen had once seen when he had engaged in combat with the former womb of the third exorcists.

The two extended their arms so that the hands of Allen and Kanda moved to hold each other. The two former exorcists stared at each other in slight surprise, although the taller was quick to hide the expression. Their gazes drifted over to the pair, who smiled happily at them.

The eyes of the woman drifted over to meet Allen’s silver, causing him to tilt his head slightly. Soft, tinkling laughter drifted through the warm air as she reached out to him, almost touching his cheek, but falling short by mere hairsbreadths. “Make my lotus happy.”

Alma, on the other hand had, in a less reserved movement, approached Kanda, taking his head in both hands and pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead. “Don’t ever let him go,” his barely audible voice commanded. Kanda could only nod wordlessly in response.

As the wind took the presences of the two away, silver and blue met each other wordlessly. For a few moments there was neither words nor movement between them. Finally, a smile slowly spanned Allen’s lips as he entwined his fingers with Kanda’s.

“I love you, Kanda,” he stated, not merely as a response to the confession that he had received, but as a new declaration.

The first genuinely caring smile that Allen had seen upon the face of Kanda was at that moment, and it was nothing short of stunningly beautiful.

* * *

Neah’s eyes narrowed in a smile as his eyes drifted away from the small corner and back to his older twin, who merely smiled back and nodded in understanding.

A person had three faces: one for the public to see, one for family and friends, and the last, only one person would ever see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And three minutes or less later, they're back to fighting and arguing and setting the island on fire again and Komui has to go find a fire extinguisher, but can't because they don't exist yet, so they all jump into the sea and continue partying there. ^.^  
> Thank you all so much for supporting this story and I'm really looking forward to writing another one sometime~


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